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| Home > Fact
of the Week > Back
to School |
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8-9-2010
Preparedness
Facts of the Week
by
Elizabeth Hall, Emergency
Services Specialist - Kings County Office of Emergency
Management |
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| Do
you have school-aged children or
know someone who does? Do you
drive? If you answered yes to one
of these questions, then this is
for you! Within a few weeks, school
will be starting once again, and
safety is once again an issue. There
is the issue of safety on the roadways
with buses, and the safety of your
students at school. Although there
are many issues that could be covered
in these two topics alone, today’s
article will focus on Emergency Contact
Information for your students at
school, and about the Vehicle Code
relating to buses. Do you know the
law?
First,
let me cover the importance of
up-to-date contact information
regarding your students. Having
worked in a school setting for
several years, I know the importance
of correct contact information
and how critical it can be for
your child’s school and
to your child! Your child’s
school relies on you to give
them the most current and accurate
emergency contact information
as well as more than just a few
names to contact. Before you
list the same information as
the year before, did you check
to see if those phone numbers
and addresses have changed? Giving
the school inaccurate information
can lead to worry and anxiety
for the child who is in the school
office waiting as school staff
scramble to try to make contact
with a family member, neighbor
or friend. In an emergency, this
leads to a difficult time not
only for the school, but also
for the child who is in the office
waiting. For the safety and comfort
of your child, I would like to
suggest to you some basic rules:
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- Before
you fill out the emergency card given
by your child’s
school, make sure you complete every
line with the most detailed information
you can give.
- Call the people you plan to list
as a contact to make sure their phone
numbers and addresses are still correct.
Ask if you may also put down a cell
number.
- List
as many people on the card as you
can. You’d be surprised how
often the school has to call all
the names on the card and there
is either no response to any of
them, or the numbers are disconnected.
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Since
the emergency card only allows
enough space for a few contacts,
I would suggest writing down
more on a separate
sheet of paper (card stock works
best) and staple it to the back
of the emergency card. Make
sure your student’s name,
date of birth, and grade are
on this separate sheet of paper.
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- Please
PRINT clearly. This
is probably one of the
most
important things to remember
when filling out the
card.
- Remember,
the only people
allowed to pick
up a student from
school
are those listed
on the emergency
card, unless
prior arrangements
by a parent have
been made.
Therefore, in an
emergency, only
those listed will
have permission
to take
your child off
school grounds.
- All
persons listed
as a contact on
the emergency
card must by 18 years
of age or older in
order to pick up
a student.
- Periodically
through out the school
year,
check with those
you have listed to
make sure
all the information
is still correct.
I would
check just prior
to having to go out
of town just
to make sure your
children always had
someone they
could rely on if
you are not available.
This
also helps to give
a “heads
up” to your
contacts so they
will be better
prepared for a phone
call in your absence.
(When it
comes to your children,
you can never
be too prepared!)
- After
all forms are completed,
make a copy
and keep it at home
near your phone. This
helps
you to remember all
the people you have
listed,
and makes it easy
to call them ahead
of time
should you need to
make arrangements at
the last
minute. I keep these
forms until the next
school year when
I have to complete
the process
all over again, at
which time I shred
the old.
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Children
are uncomfortable as
it is having to wait
in the office, but when
you add a need, such
as medical, transportation
or something as simple
as needing a change of
clothes, they become
anxious and slightly
stressed the longer they
are waiting in the office.
Being able to make an
immediate connection
with someone on the emergency
card becomes a comfort
to them. |
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Be assured
that office staff does
their best to make
those calls count,
please do YOUR part
and make YOUR list
count!
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For
my second topic. Not too long ago I
witnessed a school
bus stopped to unload
students while a vehicle
drove on through without
stopping. The bus had
the flashing red lights
on and the stop sign
arm out - - - clearly
visible. This vehicle
kept on going. The
bus was heading east
on a double lane street.
I was in the right-hand
lane behind the bus,
and the other car was
in the left-hand lane.
By law, this vehicle
should have stopped.
Perhaps the driver
thought the law only
pertained to those
driving in the same
lane as the bus. Do
YOU know the law?
Vehicle
Code (VC) Section
22454: School Bus Meeting
and Passing: taken
from the California
Department of Motor
Vehicles (DMV) website
states:
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d11/vc22454.htm
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| (a) |
The
driver of any
vehicle,
upon meeting
or overtaking,
from either direction,
any school bus
equipped with
signs as required
in this code,
that is stopped
for the purpose
of loading or
unloading any
school children
and displays
a flashing red
light signal
and stop signal
arm, as defined
in paragraph
(4) of subdivision
(b) of Section
25257, if equipped
with a stop signal
arm, visible
from front or
rear, shall bring
the vehicle to
a stop immediately
before passing
the school bus
and shall not
proceed past
the school bus
until the flashing
red light signal
and stop signal
arm, if equipped
with a stop signal
arm, cease operation. |
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| So,
in simple terms,
if you see a bus
stopped and it has
the red lights flashing,
mechanical stop sign
arm, or both operating…STOP and do not go until
the sign has been
unarmed and the lights
are no longer flashing.
Simple as that. |
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WHAT'S
THE PENALTY?
YOU WILL BE SHOCKED! |
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The
best thing
about writing
these articles
is two-fold:
Passing along
knowledge
for the betterment
of our community,
and learning
something
new with
each Fact
of the Week! |
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| First, let me quote
the California Department
of Motor Vehicles
Vehicle Code: |
| VC
22454.5: A person
convicted of a first
violation of Section
22454 shall be punished
by a fine of not
less than one hundred
fifty dollars ($150)
or more than two
hundred fifty dollars
($250). A person
convicted of a second
separate violation
of Section 22454
shall be punished
by a fine of not
less than five hundred
dollars ($500) or
more than one thousand
dollars ($1,000).
If a person is convicted
of a third or subsequent
violation of Section
22454 and the offense
occurred within three
years of two or more
separate violations
of Section 22454,
the Department of
Motor Vehicles shall
suspend the person’s
privilege to operate
a motor vehicle for
one year. |
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Now,
here’s
what you might
not know:
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Although
the above paragraph
is correct, what
you may not know
is that there
are additional
fees incurred
with that. I
spoke to our
traffic court
system here in
Kings County
and here is the
basic breakdown
for a first offense:
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What
started out as
a $150.00 fee
turned into $480!
For a first violation!
All that money for
a minute or two of
impatience. I don’t
know about you, but
that’s a lot
of money for such
a simple rule to
ignore. This law
wasn’t put
into place to set
you back. It was
put in place for
the safety of our
children. If that
were your child getting
on or off the bus,
wouldn’t you
want the most in
safety measures for
him/her?
If you decide to
read the entire
code and all
subsections,
you might find
that it leaves
room for interpretation.
My suggestion
would be if you
still have any
questions regarding
certain roadways
in your area
and this vehicle
code, you might
want to call
your local police
department and
ask for the traffic
division.
Well,
I hope you learned
something new today.
As I’ve said
before, knowledge
is power.
Let’s
empower our community
one person at a time!
Do your part for
preparedness!
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Credits:
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Graphics: www.mpsaz.org,
schoolservice.com, dyslexiavictoria.wordpress.com,
Microsoft clip art, Wikipedia.org,
trutv.com, up2date.kfupmblog.ac.
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Resources:
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California
Department of Motor Vehicles
@ www.dmv.ca.gov and
the Kings County Courts. |
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Do
your part for safety awareness by passing this
information along to anyone you can think of
who would benefit.
Have
a great week, and remember…… Be
Responsible - Be Ready - Be Prepared!
Teaming Up for Emergency Preparedness
Elizabeth Hall
Office of Emergency Management
280 Campus Drive Hanford, CA 93230
(559) 582-3211, Ext. 2634
www.kingscountyoem.com
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