You are here
Safety and Welfare
The Safety and Welfare Commission aims to assist in providing a safe environment at home, at school, and in the community for children and youth, with the goal to educate and involve parents, teachers, students, and community members in safety issues. We aim to develop and implement programs that educate and inform in order to meet the needs of your community in safety issues.
Safety and Welfare Commission Focus
The Safety and Welfare areas of concern are as follows:
- Alcohol-Related Accidents/DUI
- Bicycle Safety/Helmet Use
- Bullying/Hazing/Sexual Harassment
- Child Restraints/Seat Belt Safety
- Crime Prevention
- Driver's Education
- Drug Prevention
- Emergency Preparedness
- Fire Safety
- Firearm Safety
- Gang Activity
- Internet Safety
- McGruff House and McGruff Campaign
- Personal Safety Programs
- Personal Safety of Kids/Missing and Exploited Children
- Poison Awareness
Utah Child Protection Registry
The Utah Child Protection Registry is state program administered by the Division of Consumer Protection and enforced in conjunction with the Attorney General’s Office, and since 2005, the Registry has been providing a free do-not-contact service for families and schools. Families can go to http://donotcontact.utah.gov to sign up their household e-mail addresses, mobile phone numbers (text message ads), and instant messenger IDs. Schools and educational institutions can also participate by signing up their school domain, which will register all student, faculty, and administrative e-mail addresses.
Register today at http://donotcontact.utah.gov.
Snap Walk 'n Roll Assembly
Come See the “SNAP, Walk ’n Roll” Assembly!
SNAP, Walk 'n Roll is a free, 35-minute assembly about walking and biking safely to school, produced by the Utah Department of Transportation Student Neighborhood Access Program (SNAP)™.
With larger-than-life characters and music fit for a rock show, the four-member SNAP Team teaches students about the importance of following the safest routes on the school's SNAP Map, traffic signs and signals and necessary gear, and it helps them get excited about walking and biking to school.
PTA representatives interested in the assembly are invited to attend local performances. Assemblies are Thursdays and Fridays, now through the end of May, from Ogden to Spanish Fork. To see when SNAP, Walk ’n Roll will be in your area, contact the SNAP team at snap@utah.gov.
SNAP is filling a waiting list for the 2012-2013 school year. To schedule a free performance of SNAP, Walk ’n Roll for your school, contact the SNAP team at snap@utah.gov or visit www.udot.utah.gov/snap.
Is your school outside the assembly performance area? “SNAP, Walk 'n Roll: The Movie,” based on the musical-assembly, is an original 30-minute video about walking and biking safely to school. To obtain a free copy of “SNAP, Walk 'n Roll: The Movie,” contact the SNAP team at snap@utah.gov or visit www.udot.utah.gov/snap
Green Ribbon Month
What is Green Ribbon Month?
The Green Ribbon Month Campaign is a program that focuses on children's pedestrian safety. In the 1990's 75 Utah children were killed in pedestrian/motor vehicle crashes. Governor Michael Leavitt signed a proclamation designating September as Green Ribbon Month in the State of Utah. The Davis County SAFE KIDS Coalition developed and promoted this program in 1998 and the program is now being implemented in various counties statewide.
Our goals include:
- educating children on proper pedestrian practices;
- increasing public awareness of the laws and guidelines currently in place to protect pedestrians;
- increasing the standards set within the State which determine the mandatory need for crosswalks, safety lights, signage, and crossing guards;
- decreasing and eventually eliminating the number of children injured and killed due to pedestrian related incidents.
Who should be involved?
Everyone! The whole community should be involved. Involve members of your PTA, local health department, local SAFE KIDS Chapter or Coalition, local government (city council members, mayor, chief of police, school resource officer, etc.) in your Green Ribbon Week's events. Involve school faculty by having them supplement their curriculum with educational materials about pedestrian safety. Get your parents and grandparents involved by having them take the Green Ribbon Pledge to slow down in school zones and residential neighborhoods, increase their awareness of these areas, and encourage their participation in advocating safer crossings and streets for children. Get your local media involved in the events; invite them to come along on a walk to school and focus their attention on your problem areas and propose solutions. Involve local business by having them sponsor your Green Ribbon Week with fun prizes for poster contests, bike helmet give-a-ways, safety assemblies and participation in taking the Green Ribbon Pledge.
Cooperative efforts within your community can go a long way towards making our streets safer for our children. For more information on starting your own Green Ribbon Month activities in your area, please contact Theron Jeppson by phone at 801-538-6156, or e-mail at tjeppson@utah.gov.
How to Buy Green Ribbons
- Call Transit Instruments at 801-262-0066 to place your order.
- Pick them up at 612 West Confluence Ave (4260 South) in Murray, Utah.
- Mention the PTA for a discount!
April is Earthquake Prepardedness Month
All the schools in Utah built after the mid-1970’s have been required to follow a state code. It does not mean that your school is totally “earthquake proof”, it means you are more likely to escape the building unharmed.
Some school districts have been very aggressive on this issue such as Alpine, Jordan, Ogden, Salt Lake and some in Davis County.
If you want to know about your own personal school, contact your district office to find out if your building has been inspected and when.
We will be focusing on “preparedness” this next school year and try to help everyone get ready.
Some facts:
- Much has been learned about the earthquake threat and vulnerability in Utah.
- We know earthquakes occur here in Utah.
- We know where earthquakes are likely to occur and what they can do.
- We know how to reduce losses in future large earthquakes.
BUT...
- We have not done enough to be prepared for the next large earthquake.
- Few households have disaster plans.
- Few households have disaster supply kits.
- Few owners have taken steps to retrofit their older homes.
There will be more information forthcoming in the May Leadership Conference at BYU.
Articles
Click on the links below to read helpful articles on how to keep children safe:
Safety Strips
To order saftey strips to add to your children's clothing contact:
3M Traffic Safety Systems Division
Justin O'Connor
Safety Specialist
Phone: (801) 619-8073
Internet Safety
Faux Paw
Here is a resource that will help keep your kids safe online.
Visit http://www.ikeepsafe.org for more information.
Critical Issues Conference
15th Annual Power of Prevention Critical Issues Conference
Friday, February 1, 2013
Utah Cultural Celebration Center
1355 West 3100 South, West Valley, Utah
Protect Your Children With Social Scout
Keep your kids safe with SocialScout™
Gone are the days when parents could closely monitor their children's social interactions. In today's connected world, the youngest kids have access to mobile phones, social networks and a host of resources that can, unwittingly, get them into a heap of trouble if their activities aren't monitored closely.
At the 2012 National PTA® Convention, we introduced you to a new parental intelligence tool called SocialScout™ which offers you the opportunity to monitor and quickly analyze your child's social networking and mobile phone interactions through an online portal that's simple to set-up and easy-to-use. Recently awarded the coveted Parent Tested Parent Approved Winner's Seal of Approval, this exciting new technology helps you keep your kids safe while safeguarding their privacy and reputation on sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter, giving you the peace of mind to know what's going on in your child's digital world.
With SocialScout™, find out:
- Who your child's online friends are and be alerted when new requests are made
- What's being posted about your child
- How and when your child is using technology
- And much more
Don't let this opportunity pass you by to take a proactive role in helping to manage your child's digital identity. SocialScout™ offers smart tools to keep our kids safe. If you need assistance setting up your SocialScout™ membership, or need your exclusive invitation code, please contact SocialScout™ at support@mysocialscout.net
To learn more about SocialScout™, please visit www.mysocialscout.net/pta