By Sheriff Larry Ashley
When Okaloosa County students head back to school on August 12th, they will once again be protected by a dedicated team of Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office School Resource Officers (SRO). In fact, our SRO Unit was just named, (for the second time in five years), as Florida’s top program! Our Unit has earned seven state and national awards in seven years. We know that level of success is not achieved alone. It’s a reflection of the commitment to school safety of the OCSO, Superintendent of Schools, Okaloosa County School Board, School District employees, parents and students.
Even with that focus on protecting our kids by all those entities, the truth is, whether you have a child attending school or not, we all have a role to play in school safety. Being vigilant for walkers, bike riders, bus riders, and increased traffic in school zones is the first order of business. We can’t stress these five words enough: “Slow down in school zones!”
There were several videos released across our country last year that showed drivers speeding past stopped school buses and young children barely escaping a certain death, thanks to the school bus driver’s quick action and alertness. Those close calls should never happen. Please stay focused on the task at hand when you are behind the wheel.
Tips from The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on the responsibilities of drivers in keeping our kids safe:
• When backing out of a driveway or leaving a garage, watch out for children walking or bicycling to school.
• When driving in neighborhoods with school zones, watch out for young people who may be thinking about getting to school, but may not be thinking of getting there safely.
• Slow down. Watch for children walking in the street or riding bicycles, especially if there are no sidewalks in neighborhood.
• Watch for children playing and congregating near bus stops.
• Be alert. Children arriving late for the bus may dart into the street without looking for traffic.
• Learn and obey the school bus laws, as well as the “flashing signal light system” that school bus drivers use to alert motorists of pending actions:
• Yellow flashing lights indicate the bus is preparing to stop to load or unload children. Motorists should slow down and prepare to stop their vehicles.
• Red flashing lights and extended stop arms indicate the bus has stopped and children are getting on or off. Motorists must stop their cars and wait until the red lights stop flashing, the extended stop-arm is withdrawn, and the bus begins moving before they can start driving again.
Texting while driving has always been an extremely dangerous practice. It became a primary offense in Florida July 1st. And remember, beginning October 1st, a driver cannot hold a wireless device in his or her hands if in a school zone or an active work zone with workers present.
You may also want to talk to your kids about distracted walking and that’s no joke. So many students are tuned in to their screens while walking they can forget to pay attention to where the sidewalk ends and roadway begins – or to be aware of their surroundings so they don’t step in front of a moving vehicle.
Our OCSO SRO’s do all in their power to keep our children safe. We ask that you do your part as well – by paying attention and making their safety a top priority.
