Three school safety steps every parent should know before classes begin

I reviewed my childrens back-to-school shopping lists last week. After wrapping my head around the dizzying array of required items, I was struck by what was missing: safety.

Across America, parents will spend the next few weeks buying everything from notebooks, pens, and pencils to dorm fridges, shower caddies, and laundry baskets.

No parent wants their child to be "that kid" — the one who accidentally shows up on the first day with the wrong calculator or without gym shoes. Yet whether dropping them off at the bus stop or at the quad, almost none of them will send them away with an honest, practical conversation about safety — the one thing they need most.

IS CYBERBULLYING HIDING IN YOUR CHILD'S GROUP CHAT?

Why? Sometimes, because we assume our kids already know what to do or that someone else will teach them. Mostly because its uncomfortable. Its easier to talk about spiral notebooks and extra-long twin sheets than about what to do if the unthinkable happens. But silence has not made our schools safer — and it has not made our children more prepared.

Real back-to-school readiness means facing potential threats head-on. As parents gear up for the school year, there are three essential steps they should take.

1. Demand that educators be trained and equipped for an emergency.

Teachers and other school staff are often the first line of defense in a crisis. Thats an enormous responsibility for people whose emergency training is often little more than a checklist and an afternoon seminar. This is not a knock on teachers and staff. Its a gap in what schools have been asked and funded to provide.

Genuine school safety requires much more than a plan on paper. It means a strong physical footprint (single-point entry, rapid classroom door locks), modern safety tools (mass notification system, AI-assisted surveillance), and emergency training. Parents shouldnt hesitate to ask direct questions. How are teachers trained? What safety tools are actually available in the classrooms? How quickly can the school communicate with families during an emergency? Teachers and staff deserve real support, and parents deserve transparency.

2. Talk about safety early — and often.

Its a natural human instinct to want to shield a seven-year-old from a worry they havent asked for or to protect a college freshmans first weeks from worst-case scenarios. I feel that pull every fall. But while its natural, it doesnt protect our children from risk.

The goal isnt to scare children. Its to prepare them — to build awareness, confidence, and the ability to respond if something ever goes wrong. As parents, we cant shy away from these discussions.

WE GREW UP BEFORE SCREENS TOOK OVER. OUR KIDS DESERVE THAT CHANCE TOO

Obviously, what you say should be age-appropriate. The message you give a second-grader shouldnt sound like the one you give a high school senior or college freshman.

For my wife and me, this meant walking through our kids schools ourselves, understanding the layout and emergency plans, then sitting down with our kids and having the conversation more than once. Its not a one-time "big talk." Its something we bring up naturally before school starts and revisit throughout the year. We remind them to pay attention to their surroundings, trust their inst