Regional police offering tips to keep students safe ahead of back to school

Students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 are back to learning in just one week, which will also mean more traffic on the roads in the mornings and the children of Waterloo Region out making their way to school.

The first day of school in Waterloo Region is Wednesday, Sept. 4.

Waterloo Regional Police are offering tips on how to keep kids, and adults, safe ahead of another school year.

The police service is reminding the public to keep an eye out for children walking and biking to school and to be aware of crossing guards out helping students crossing the road.

If people are driving near a school bus, they are required to come to a full stop in both directions when the overhead light is flashing red.

The police service advises people to sit down with their children to discuss how to be safe when travelling to and from school.

That includes planning a safe route, always crossing with a crossing guard, putting away their phones when walking, and being aware of suspicious people they don’t know.

According to 570’s Meteorologist Jill Taylor, people also might need to make sure they have proper clothing, as she forecasts temperatures in the single digits for the early morning on Wednesday.

“You may want to add some fall layers to that back-to-school wardrobe, at least for the first couple of days,” she said.

Taylor added that the weather should be sunny and warm for the afternoon.