Tips for Being Safe and Handling Emergencies
Do you know what to do if you are approached by a stranger as you walk home from school? What do you do if you are home alone and there is an emergency? Talk to your guardians and come up with a plan to take care of emergencies you may face when they are not around. You should always talk freely with your guardians and let them know when you have questions or if something is bothering you.
When Walking To and From School, or to a Friend's House
- Use the "buddy system." Always try to walk with a group of friends to school or to the bus stop.
- Always travel on a safe route that you know well to and from school. Avoid taking short cuts or traveling through isolated areas.
- If you go home alone after school, check in with a neighbor, relative, or your guardians when you get home from school — every day and by a certain time.
- Never accept a ride from a stranger or someone who does not usually pick you up from school or a friend's house without asking permission from your guardians.
- If someone tries to force you into a car, scream, yell, or do whatever it takes to get away.
Other Safety Tips
- If you are in a public place — a store, shopping mall, carnival, or amusement park — and you get separated from your guardians, don't wander around looking for them. Go to a checkout counter, the security office, or the lost and found, and quickly tell the person in charge you have lost your guardians and need help finding them.
- No one should touch you in the parts of the body covered by a bathing suit, nor should you touch anyone else in those areas. Your body is special and private.
- No one should ask you to keep a special secret. If anyone does, tell a guardian or a teacher.
- Report any suspicious or uncomfortable behavior immediately to your guardians, a relative, a teacher, or any adult you know and trust.
If You Are Home Alone
- Always lock the doors of your home.
- Know how to call 9-1-1. Remember to remain calm. Speak slowly, clearly, and loud. Give your full name and address. Explain your emergency and do as they instruct you.
- When you answer the telephone, do not give your name. Never let on to strangers that you are alone. Ask to take a message because your guardians are busy right now.
Important Phone Numbers
Missouri State Highway Patrol: 1-800-525-5555 or Cellular *55
Keep a list of important phone numbers handy, including:
- Emergency (911)
- Police Department
- Fire Department
- Hospital
- Poison Control
- Family Doctor
- Closest Relative
- Parents' work and cell phone numbers