Keeping Children Safe

"Protecting Your Child Is as Easy as A-B-C

Ask how you would be reunited with your child in an emergency or evacuation

• If students had to evacuate, where should you go to pick them up?
• How would the school notify you in the event of emergency?

Follow these three steps to help protect your child during emergencies in the school day. View larger version and text description.

Bring extra medication, special foods, or supplies your child would need if you were separated overnight

• What essential supplies would your child need if separated from you overnight? (Medications? Inhaler? Milk? Diapers? Battery pack for special equipment?)
• Does the school have an emergency stockpile of these items or could you bring extras to be kept at school?
• What is the school policy for how and when medicine can be administered to your child?

Complete a backpack contact information card pdf icon[PDF – 171 KB] and tuck one in your child’s backpack and your wallet

• Emergencies are chaotic! Make sure your child or their school knows how to reach you, and who should be called if your phone isn’t working.
• Download and complete your own backpack card..."
  Keeping children safe

Keep Kids E-Cigarette Free

"Know the risks of e-cigarettes for kids.

Have you seen your kid’s USB flash drive lately? It could actually be an electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) containing nicotine. E-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product among U.S. middle and high school students, and USB-shaped e-cigarettes are increasing in popularity. As parents prepare to send their kids back to school, take time to learn more about the dangers of e-cigarettes for young people.

What are e-cigarettes?

E-cigarettes are electronic devices that produce an aerosol by heating a liquid. E-cigarettes come in many shapes and sizes. Most have a battery, a heating element, and a place to hold a liquid. Some e-cigarettes are made to look like regular cigarettes, while some look like USB flash drives, pens, and other everyday items. Larger e-cigarettes such as tank systems, or “mods,” do not resemble other tobacco products. E-cigarettes are known by many different names. They are sometimes called “e-cigs,” “e-hookahs,” “mods,” “vape pens,” “vapes,” “tank systems,” and “electronic nicotine delivery systems.” Using an e-cigarette is sometimes called “vaping” or “JUULing.”

Flavored e-cigarettes are very popular, especially among young people. More than 8 of every 10 youth aged 12-17 years who use e-cigarettes said they use flavored e-cigarettes. More than 9 of every 10 young adult e-cigarette users said they use e-cigarettes flavored to taste like menthol, alcohol, candy, fruit, chocolate, or other sweets

How do e-cigarettes work?

E-cigarettes produce an aerosol by heating a liquid that usually contains nicotine, flavorings, and other chemicals that help to make the aerosol. Users inhale this aerosol into their lungs. Bystanders can also breathe in this aerosol when the user exhales it into the air. E-cigarette devices can also be used to deliver marijuana and other drugs...."
E-Cigarettes

Returning to School After a Disaster: Tips to Help Your Students Cope

"Teachers have an important role to play in helping children both prepare for and recover after a public health emergency.

Public health emergencies and disasters affect millions of children worldwide each year. These emergencies and disasters include natural events (such as severe weather, earthquakes, fires, floods, and tsunamis) and man-made events (such as acts of terrorism). An emergency or disaster can be destructive to a child’s physical environment, as well as affect their mental health. As a teacher, you are committed to keeping schools safe and supporting children and their families. If your students experience an emergency or disaster, there are steps you can take to help your students cope and recover..."
School disaster

Advice for Safe and Healthy Travel for Students

"Planning to study abroad, but don’t know how to start preparing for your trip? Use this guide from CDC Travelers’ Health to help you get ready for safe and healthy travel.

You’ve decided to study abroad. You have your program dates confirmed, and your flight is booked—now what? Spending a semester abroad can be a thrilling and memorable experience. See below for ways to prevent travel-related illnesses or injuries and ensure you enjoy yourself!

Before You Go

• Learn about health and safety concerns in your host country, including other countries you may plan to visit while you’re there.
• Make an appointment with a travel medicine specialist or your health care provider to get needed vaccines and medicines at least a month before you leave.
  • CDC recommends all travelers be up to date on routine vaccines, such as influenza and measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR). This year there are measles outbreaks in many popular destinations. Make sure you get vaccinated. Don’t go unprotected!
  • Discuss your itinerary with your health care provider to make sure you get any destination-specific vaccines and medicines, such as yellow fever vaccine or medicine to prevent malaria.
  • Get all your routine health checkups, such as seeing your dentist, before you leave, because the quality of dental and medical care may be different in host countries or more expensive than in the United States.
• Pack a travel health kit with your prescriptions and over-the-counter medicines (enough to last your whole trip, plus a little extra), first aid supplies, condoms, and your health insurance card.
  • Make sure your medicines are permitted and properly packaged and stored for travel to your destination. Medicines commonly prescribed in the United States may be prohibited or unavailable in the host country.
  • Pack your medicines in your carry-on luggage. You don’t want to be stuck without them if your suitcase gets lost!
• Monitor travel warnings and alerts at your destination(s) through the US Department of State website.
  • Enroll with the nearest US embassy or consulate through the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to get safety updates and phone numbers in the event of an emergency.
• Prepare for the unexpected.
  • Leave copies of your itinerary, contact information, credit cards, passport, and proof of school enrollment with someone at home, in case you lose them during travel.
  • Find out if your health insurance covers medical care abroad—many plans don’t! Consider buying additional insurance that covers health care and emergency evacuation.
  • Studying abroad may result in culture shock, loneliness, or stress. Discuss coping mechanisms, make a plan for who to contact if issues arise while abroad, and tell your health care provider about any existing mental health issues..."
    Study abroad

Sleep in Middle and High School Students

"Children and adolescents who do not get enough sleep have a higher risk for many health and behavior problems. Learn how much sleep students need and how many are not getting it.

Importance of Sleep

Children and adolescents who do not get enough sleep have a higher risk of obesity, diabetes, injuries, poor mental health, and problems with attention and behavior.^1-4 How much sleep someone needs depends on their age. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has recommended that children aged 6–12 years should regularly sleep 9–12 hours per 24 hours and teenagers aged 13–18 years should sleep 8–10 hours per 24 hours.¹

Are Students Getting Enough Sleep?

CDC analyzed data from the 2015 national and state Youth Risk Behavior Surveys.⁵ Students were asked how much sleep they usually got on school nights. Students who were 6 to 12 years old and who reported sleeping less than 9 hours were considered to not get enough sleep. Teenagers aged 13 to 18 years who reported sleeping less than 8 hours also were considered to not get enough sleep..."
Students and sleep

Healthy Student Travel

"Prepare for a safe and healthy study abroad experience by following CDC's travel health tips for students.

Missing out on a unique cultural experience because you're stuck in bed with a travel-related illness or injury is probably not part of your plan for a great study-abroad experience. Fortunately, CDC is here to help! In celebration of International Education Week (November 14–18), we've put together a "study guide" to help you prepare for safe and healthy travel..."

Student travel

Take the Safe Online Surfing Internet Challenge

"What do more than 870,000 students across the nation have in common?

Since 2012, they have all completed the FBI’s Safe Online Surfing (SOS) Internet Challenge. Available through a free website at https://sos.fbi.gov, this initiative promotes cyber citizenship by teaching students in third through eighth grades how to recognize and respond to online dangers through a series of fun, interactive activities.
Internet security

3 Ways to Get Your Loan Out of Default

"You didn’t pay your federal student loan for several months, and now a collection agency is calling you telling you your loan has defaulted. If you’re like many borrowers in this situation, you are probably freaked out and don’t know what to do.
Don’t worry — you still have options to remedy your situation. You don’t have to run from your debt; you can face it head-on and we can help you..."
Student loans

Financial Aid for Students: Online Resources

"This report identifies various online sources for planning and acquiring funds for postsecondary education. Students themselves are often in the best position to determine which aid programs they may qualify for and which best meet their needs. This list includes both general and comprehensive sources, as well as those targeted toward specific types of aid and circumstances (e.g., non-need-based scholarships; female and minority students; students studying abroad; or veterans, military personnel, and their dependents).."
Financial Aid for Students

Back to School

Tips to prepare students for back to school activities.

Current Tobacco Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2011

"Tobacco use continues to be the leading preventable cause of death and disease in the United States, with nearly 443,000 deaths occurring annually because of cigarette smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke (1). Moreover, nearly 90% of adult smokers begin smoking by age 18 years (2). To assess current tobacco use among youths, CDC analyzed data from the 2011 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS). This report describes the results of that analysis, which indicated that, in 2011, the prevalence of current tobacco use among middle school and high school students was 7.1% and 23.2%, respectively, and the prevalence of current cigarette use was 4.3%, and 15.8%, respectively..."

Helping Your Child Manage Diabetes at School

"You may already have bought the basic school supplies for sending your child back to school. But if your child has diabetes, you need to make additional preparations.

A person with diabetes must manage this chronic illness all the time, including during the school day. Staff such as nurses, teachers and coaches can work with you and your child on managing diabetes. This assistance may include helping your child take medications, check blood sugar levels, choose healthy foods in the cafeteria, and be physically active..."

Help Americans Manage Student Loan Debt"

"...Help Americans Manage Student Loan Debt by Capping Monthly Payments to What They Can Afford

* Allow borrowers to cap their student loan payments at 10% of discretionary income. In the 2010 State of the Union, the President proposed – and Congress quickly enacted – an improved income-based repayment (IBR) plan, which allows student loan borrowers to cap their monthly payments at 15% of their discretionary income. Beginning July 1, 2014, the IBR plan is scheduled to reduce that limit from 15% to 10% of discretionary income.
* Today, the President announced that his Administration is putting forth a new “Pay As You Earn” proposal to make sure these same important benefits are made available to some borrowers as soon as 2012. The Administration estimates that this cap will reduce monthly payments for more than 1.6 million student borrowers..."

Vice President Biden Announces New Administration Effort to Help Nation's Schools Address Sexual Violence
"Washington, D.C. – Today[4/4/11], Vice President Biden and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan introduced comprehensive guidance to help schools, colleges and universities better understand their obligations under federal civil rights laws to prevent and respond to the problem of campus sexual assault. The new guidance, announced at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, New Hampshire, makes clear the legal obligations under Title IX of any school, college or university receiving federal funds to respond promptly and effectively to sexual violence. The guidance also provides practical examples to aid educators in ensuring the safety of their students..."
Click here for additional information.

Statistical Methods for Protecting Personally Identifiable Information in Aggregate Reporting
"This Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS) Technical Brief examines what protecting student privacy means in a reporting context. To protect a student’s privacy, the student’s personally identifiable information must be protected from public release. When schools, districts, or states publish reports on students’ educational progress, they typically release aggregated data—data for groups of students—to prevent disclosure of information about an individual. However, even with aggregation, unintended disclosures of personally identifiable information may occur. Current reporting practices are described and each is accompanied by an example table that is used to consider whether the intended protections are successful..."

Measuring the Status and Change of NAEP State Inclusion Rates for Students with Disabilities
"Since the late 1990s, participation rates of students with disabilities (SDs) in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) from different states have fluctuated. To address concerns that these changes may affect the validity of reports on achievement trends, NAEP has
*
instituted policies for providing test accommodations for students with disabilities;
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developed a methodology to correct for the bias resulting from changing inclusion rates, and
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implemented procedures to increase the number of students with disabilities who are included as test-takers, such as better training of field staff, better procedures to assign proper accommodations for students, and improved communications with schools..."

Student Victimization in U.S. Public Schools: Results from the 2005 School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey
"This report provides estimates of student victimization as defined by the 2005 School Crime Supplement (SCS) to the 2005 National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). NCVS is the nation’s primary source of information on crime victimization and the victims of crime in the United States and the SCS is a supplement to NCVS that was created to collect information about school-related victimization on a national level. This report incorporates findings from student respondents ages 12-18 in grades 6-12 that were interviewed during the 2005 school year. It shows that student victims of crime are more likely to report conditions of an unfavorable school climate, security measures at school, and exhibit fear and avoidance behaviors. Additional topics covered in this report include the prevalence and
type of student victimization at school and selected characteristics of victims, including their demographic characteristics and school type; and victim and nonvictim reports of the presence of gangs and weapons and the availability of
drugs."