It’s back to school today for thousands of Edmonds students
Thousands of students return to class in Edmonds today, so drivers should be aware of children walking to and from school and waiting at the bus stop.
And speaking of bus stops, Edmonds School District students who were registered for school by Aug. 20 and are eligible for bus transportation should have received a card in the mail with the location and times for their bus. Students who live within a one-mile radius of the school and are not eligible for bus transportation still may ride the bus, however, if they walk to the closest stop outside the one-mile radius. It is not necessary for students to have a bus card in order to ride a bus. All current stops are listed, by school, on the Transportation Department website.
If your student walks or bikes to school, here are some safety tips provided by local law enforcement agencies:
- Teach your children to be wary of strangers and to report any suspicious contacts to a trusted adult or 911. It’s never ok to accept a ride without parent’s permission—even from people who they know.
- Since there is safety in numbers, urge your children to walk or bike with a buddy.
- Insist that your children wear bike helmets and teach them the bicycle rules of the road. (The Lynnwood Recreation Center offers helmets for only $9.)
- Make sure your child’s bike is safe; check the brakes, reflectors, and chain guard or take it to a bike shop for a check up.
- Encourage your children to be highly visible by wearing bright, light-colored clothing.
- Urge your children to walk against traffic and ride bikes with the traffic whenever possible.
- Teach your children to cross streets only at marked crosswalks and to watch for turning vehicles. They should make eye contact with drivers before stepping out and look both ways.
- It’s not safe to wear headphones because you may be unable to hear approaching vehicles.
- Children under 10 should cross the street with an adult or older child.
- Teach children to look around parked cars or other objects blocking their view before they cross the street.
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