MADISON — Students across the state will be heading back to class in the coming weeks, and ReadyWisconsin is encouraging parents to make sure safety is part of their back-to-school planning.
ReadyWisconsin is part of the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs, created in 2008. It is a one-stop shop for emergency and disaster preparedness information and provides links to other relevant national, state, local, tribal and volunteer agencies.
According to the recent release, ReadyWisconsin encourages families to take the following steps with their students to help give them the tools needed for the new school year:
■ Create an emergency communications plan, which lists the phone numbers of parents, along with members of a student’s extended family or close friends to serve as backup contacts. Make sure a copy of that plan is available at school and in your student’s backpack. A sample emergency communications plan can be found on the ReadyWisconsin website at https://readywisconsin.wi.gov/make-a-plan/.
■ If cellphones are allowed at school, program them with emergency contact numbers.
■ Review safety information shared by your school, including school bus safety, evacuation procedures, and how students will be reunited with families if there were to be an emergency or other incident during the school day.
Talk to your student’s teacher about participating in ReadyWisconsin’s Student Tools for Emergency Planning (STEP) program. This free curriculum for fourth and fifth grade classrooms helps teach students about being ready for disasters. Educators can find enrollment information at https://readywisconsin.wi.gov/st ep/.
Wisconsin Emergency Management Administrator Greg Engle emphasized the importance of proper planning between parents and their kids as the school year begins.
“Kids spend a lot of time away from home during the school year, so it’s important that they know what to do if there’s an emergency during the day,” Engle said in the release. “Parents should spend some time going over how to respond to those situations, so kids can start the year safely.”
If you have a student heading off to college, consider picking up an emergency kit for their vehicle and dorm room or apartment. Vehicle kits should include items like a cellphone charger, snacks, blankets and jumper cables. For home kits, add items like non-perishable foods, a flashlight, portable radio and extra batteries.
For additional tips for talking about safety with your kids, visit https://readywisconsin.wi.gov/. For more daily safety tips, follow ReadyWisconsin on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
