By Alexandra Deryn
ELMIRA, N.Y. (WENY) – With the start of school around the corner, law enforcement leaders across New York are outlining a few back-to-school safety tips for students and parents.
“The first thing that’s the most important for the parents to do is to keep an open mind and communication with your children,” Chemung County Sheriff William Schrom said. “Talk to them about the expectations in their behavior within school. Have communications with them after school. You know, ask them how their days are going.”
Sheriff Schrom said it is important for parents to talk about what’s going on in school with their children. He said parents can find out if their child is having problems with an open line of communication. He also advises parents to update their child’s emergency contact information as school starts back up.
“You want to make sure it’s up to date,” he said. “Sometimes, numbers aren’t good anymore or the person isn’t the right contact person for some reason or other so…just making sure everything is up to date is important to do.
Sheriff Schrom urged students to say something if they see suspicious activity on school grounds. He said there are School Resource Officers for students to report to if they feel unsafe.
“Currently, we have 14 School Resource Officers assigned to the Elmira City School District, Finn Academy and BOCES,” he said. “A lot of our information, fortunately, is generated by other students. Being comfortable sharing that information with an administrator or a School Resource Officer is tremendously invaluable.”
Sheriff Schrom advised people to be careful about sharing personal information on social media. He said a child could easily be convinced by a stranger to exchange information, despite how unsafe it may be.
“Always be cautious of the kind of information you put out there, especially personal information,” he said.
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