San Antonio – A local school district and first responder are reminding parents of the importance of educating their children about when, why and how to call for help in emergencies.
This comes after a student and teacher were killed and several others injured in a shooting at a private Christian school in Wisconsin.
“It's absolutely heartbreaking, it's terrible,” said Aubrey Chancellor, executive director of communications for North East ISD. “‘Our thoughts are with every single employee and student. That is unthinkable and unfortunately it is happening far too often at the moment.”
“We always encourage people to teach children the theory of emergency calling as early as possible,” said Joe Arrington, public information officer for the San Antonio Fire Department. “It really all depends on the child. As a parent, you know that child’s level of understanding.”
Arrington said studies have shown that three to four years of age is the ideal time to plant this seed.
This is a fact that the Chancellor agrees with.
“We start talking to the students as soon as they arrive at preschool age,” said the Chancellor. “We’re talking about 4-year-olds. We make this concept clear. We go through this with them, but as parents you can never start too early. Once a child can speak and choose, you can begin these conversations. It’s never too early.”
Arrington said during her school visits, they not only educate the children about the seriousness of the 911 call, but also explain to them what a real emergency is.
“I can say that 99 percent of the time we get calls from children, it is a true emergency,” Arrington said. “An unconscious loved one, a fire, a traffic accident or similar things where you need immediate care or assistance from the police or fire and rescue services. As adults, it is our responsibility to teach them what is and is not an emergence.”
He added that practicing hypothetical situations – such as exit drills you would do at home in a house fire – is a good way for parents to keep their children informed.
The Chancellor added that despite cell phone policies in their schools, parents should be reassured knowing that phones are generally not allowed to be left open during lessons.
“That still means they’re in their backpacks,” she said. “In emergency situations, access to phones will still be available, regardless of whether they are intended to be active during class time. In addition, many classrooms still have landline connections.”
Finally, if you need to call 911, remember to confidently state who you are, why you are calling, and where you are calling from, no matter how old you are.
“That’s the key,” Arrington said. “At such a young age, kids really often make a difference when they call 911. They may not even understand why they are calling and are confident about getting the resources going, but the fact that they do is a matter of life or death.”
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