Week 213

Positive post Sunday, March 21, 2021- Week 213. 

Are you one of those parents that takes a picture of your children on their first day of school each year?  Well, I went back into our family archives and found a picture of my 5 children on their first day of school in 1997 (see photo below).

Now, fast forward 24 years, the next photos below are pictures of three of my grandchildren at home on their first day of school this year.  With the pandemic, 2020 and 2021 have certainly been unprecedented and challenging years for all students, teachers, parents, grandparents and guardians.

Have your children and grandchildren already returned to the classroom this year?  Some have, but with the recent announcements that many counties have moved to the “Red” tier and school districts completing plans to reopen schools (some partially), many more students and teachers will be heading back to their classrooms in the coming weeks.  I pray for their health and safety as they work toward their new normal with In-Person Learning.

This shift back to the classroom will likely create some additional anxiety and certainly more congestion around town, especially near our once dormant schools in our communities.  This leads me to the heart of my Positive Post Sunday this week, a health and safety message.  “Let’s Pave the Way for a Safe Return to In-Person Learning” for our children, grandchildren and teachers.  Although there is much to consider for the health and safety of our students and teachers as they navigate their way back to the classroom, for purposes of this health and safety message, I’ll focus on two distinct areas, Safe Driving and Student Health. 

Safe Driving

I’m not sure about you, but I have certainly seen increased traffic and congestion over these past few weeks around our schools, including a line of parents at a private school anxiously waiting to pick up their children in a line of cars that stretched two city blocks.  All those returning to school, including our own loved ones, are depending on us to drive CAUTIOUSLY, PATIENTLY and ALERTLY around our schools.  Courtesy of one of our safety teams at my work, below are some safe driving tips for when we are driving around schools.

How long has it been since you’ve seen that row of school buses lined up at your local schools?   With schools continuing to reopen, those big yellow icons that transport our most precious cargo are once again returning to our busy streets (if they haven’t already in your community).  Below is a friendly reminder on what to do when approaching school buses with lights and signs deployed.  These may seem obvious, but I have personally seen many distracted or impatient drivers ignore the visible lights and signs and drive right by buses as children are exiting.  According to the National Safety Council, in 2019 school bus related crashes, including incidents involving school children getting in and out of a vehicle, resulted in 109 fatalities.  Remember to always stay focused when driving and not get distracted, especially around our schools!

Student Health

As the guardian of 3 of my grandchildren currently in middle and high school, and with Michele being on the RUSD School Board, I’ve seen and experienced firsthand the struggles with distance learning and the challenging and thoughtful journey many of us are experiencing while we “Pave the Way for a Safe Return to In-Person Learning”.  During these challenging times, our students (children and grandchildren) are not only learning from their teachers, but they are also learning from us.  Now, more than ever, we have the opportunity to instill in them the importance of safe and healthy practices.

Are you helping “Pave the Way for a Safe Return to In-Person Learning” for the children in your community by practicing safe driving around schools and focusing on the health and wellbeing of students rather than being a pothole on their road to success?