Back to School Safety Checklist: Part One – Are you checking off all the boxes for your child’s safety as the school year approaches? Vaccines, travel safety, and more are all included on the checklist right here on Newsymom!

This is Public Health is brought to you in partnership with the Tuscarawas County Health Department.

The new school year brings its fair share of tasks, adding more on your To-Do List. Between school shopping, vaccines, and travel arrangements, it can be hard to keep your sanity while trying to set your kids up for success during the upcoming school year. 

To help you keep everything organized, our friends at the Tuscarawas County Health Department have provided this handy Back-To-School Checklist (in a two-part series) so you can get everything ironed out ASAP!

Back-to-School Safety Checklist – Part One

Medical

• Update Immunizations – Beat the rush and make an appointment with the Tuscarawas County Health Department for your kids’ immunization update! Call them at (330) 343-5555 x. 174 or x. 181.
• Get a physical, if needed for sports or other after-school activities!
• Schedule any dental or orthodontist appointments before the school year starts so the kiddos won’t have to take off from school. (Which we’re all sure they would LOVE to do.)

Safety

• Go over your child’s transportation safety arrangements.
  • When walking to school, make sure they know to walk on a sidewalk (when available) or on the side of the road facing traffic. Always stay alert.
  • Have either you or another adult take your child to the bus stop to ride the bus, and be there to pick them up. (So they don’t get kidnapped, injured, or lost!)
  • If your child rides a bike to school, make sure they’re always in bright colored clothes wearing a properly fitted helmet!
  • Driving to school can be dangerous for new drivers, so make sure to teach your teens the seriousness of being behind the wheel. Encourage seatbelts, school zone speed limits, and enable location tracking on their phones so you can see where they are if they get into an accident!
• Send your child with Wet Wipes so they can frequently clean their hands and items throughout the day to avoid getting sick.
• Ensure their backpack is no heavier than 20% of their body weight.

School Shopping

• Get an ergonomic backpack to enhance safety and comfort for your child.
• Allow your kids to pick their favorite brightly colored clothes: for days that get dark early and when they walk/bike to and from school.
• Prepare an Emergency Kit for school to keep in their locker with the following items:
  • Back-up outfit (including underwear if they have accidents or shower after sports)
  • Wet Wipes/Hand Sanitizer
  • Face Masks (if required)
  • Kleenex
  • Band-aids
  • Feminine Hygiene Products (Pads/Tampons)
  • Non-perishable snacks/bottled drinks* 

*If the school allows. A doctor’s note may be required for some schools.

There’s so much more to go into for Back to School Safety! Keep following for next week’s Back to School Checklist – Part 2 to check more boxes off your list!

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The Tuscarawas County Health Department offers more than vaccines and sports physicals! Visit them at www.tchdnow.org to see what services they offer you and your family.

Make sure to keep following on Facebook (@tchdnow) for the latest news and safety tips to keep your family healthy this school year.

Melissa Klatt

Reporting