By Eric W. Schoen
And so, another summer has come and gone. The bathing suits are packed up for next year. By Monday, all of the schools in our region will have opened their doors for the 2023-2024 school year. We wish our students the best.
From the minute the child leaves the house in the morning until they return in the afternoon,there are many things our students and parents must be aware of to make the school experience a positive one. Having been an administrator with the Yonkers district I noticed the slightest little change will make school safer for your child and the whole school community. Let’s focus on 4 areas of importance to the process: Transportation, Emergency Procedures, Health and Contact with School personnel.
On Day 1 when the child walks out of the house, he/she must know the school they are going to, bus number and teacher. Students should be introduced to the bus driver and bus monitor if there is one on the bus. Due to lack of schools on the West Side, increasing population and school choice, until we build more West Side schools we will have to bus students around town. This ties up traffic and is extremely costly to the district. Students waiting for a bus must be outside of their house, coat on, with their book bag ready so they can hop on and off the bus. There is no excuse for the student to be on the wrong side of the street and unprepared for the bus ride, though we have all seen it many times
The district gives parents precise times for pickup and drop off. Any deviation to those times or keeping the bus waiting in the rain will complicate the whole route and throw off travel citywide.
At the end of the day students must be ready to board the bus. In case the child is being picked up by someone other than the designated individual school personnel must have this on file. It’s a good idea for this substitute to introduce him or herself to office staff before the first pickup. The worst thing in the world is when there is no one to pick up the child and he or she has to go to a central office waiting area where kids wait for their parents. Children get upset when they are in an unfamiliar place, and parents quite often don’t know the alternate location delaying the pickup. Don’t tell the school personnel to put the child back on the bus or in a cab to the house as this is unfair to the child and staff does not have cash for such trip.
Many types of emergencies can occur during the school day. Emergency contact information must be up to date with the nursing and office staff defining who the district should call in an emergency. Allergy medication, need for epi pens or other medication should be known by the school nurse and such items stored in the nurses office.
Students should know all exits from the school building including emergency exits. In case an emergency occurs where students must go to a staging area, the students must know where this area is.
Things parents must do before opening of school include putting the child’s name on all of his or her possessions; identification badge for the student with name, address and a phone number, a card identifying any allergies the student may have (or bracelet). A simple school walkthrough never hurts.
If you are having a particular issue with a teacher or school personnel, you have to work the chain of command to address it. Don’t just jump to the Superintendent of Schools. The chain starts with a conference with the teacher or staff member, next is his or her supervisor, the Central Office Administrator over the department, the Deputy or Assistant Superintendent and finally if you get no response the Superintendent of Schools. Remember all of these people are busy so you should present your case as swiftly and clearly as possible bringing backup documentation.
There are things that seem small to you but are important to families and staff. Any Limitations in what the child can do in the gym should be brought to the coaches attention. If the school has a particular cell phone policy the student, his parents and school staff must know it so no one gets in trouble. Cell phones disappear quickly, so only buy a cell phone for your child with the most basic features he or she will need. Students don’t need $1000 phones and with most phones under $100 a student can accomplish their basic needs. Make it clear that texting and video games are unacceptable when class is in session.
The Public Library is a wonderful place for educational resources for your child. Library cards allow your child to read books and do research from the comfort of your home. Give your child a couple of dollars for emergency needs that may arise.
When I was young and school was in session my parents would never think of taking me out of school on vacation. Nowadays anything goes. Try to save your vacation for when school is not in session so your child doesn’t have to take precious time making up work they missed.
Take my word for it. Follow these rules and you and your child will have a wonderful school year!
Listen to Eric Schoen on the Westchester Rising Radio Show Thursday’s from 10-11 a.m. On WVOX 1460 AM, go to WVOX.com and click the arrow to listen to the live stream or download the WVOX app from the App Store free of charge. Reach him at thistooisyonkers@aol.com.
