Back to School!

Today is Back-to-School day in Apple Valley and Rosemount.

Thousands of students will be heading back to class in the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan Public Schools, meaning school buses and youngsters with backpacks will be seen on and along local streets and highways for the first time since June.

LAST-MINUTE INFORMATION
If you like many of us parents who misplaced newsletters, registration forms and other pertinent back-to-school information, here are links to District 196 school websites. Click on the school name to go to the desired website.

High Schools
• Apple Valley
• Area Learning Center
• Eagan
• Eastview
• Rosemount
• School of Environmental Studies

Middle Schools
• Black Hawk
• Falcon Ridge
• Dakota Hills
• Scott Highlands
• Rosemount
• Valley

Elementary Schools
• Deerwood
• Echo Park
• Greenleaf
• Highland
• Northview
• Oak Ridge
• Parkview
• Pinewood
• Red Pine
• Rosemount
• Shannon Park
• Southview
• Thomas Lake
• Westview
• Woodland

Information about District 196’s elementary magnet schools and special education schools are available on the district’s website.

HIGHWAY SAFETY INFORMATION
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety issued the following press release to remind drivers, pedestrians and children of safety tips related to back to school:

As the first school bell rings, Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) officials are urging motorists to be ready to stop for school buses and be watchful for children exiting school buses and crossing streets.

Last year in Minnesota, there were 615 bus crashes that resulted in one death (no children) and 214 injuries (of which 75 were student bus occupants). In the last five years, crashes involving school buses resulted in 21 traffic deaths of which four were school bus student occupants and three were children who were outside a bus and hit by other vehicles.

In Minnesota, school buses make at least 10,000 school bus trips daily. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, children are eight times safer riding in a bus to school than any other vehicle.

“Kids are very safe in school buses, and to keep them safe, motorists need be paying attention and take extreme caution for children exiting buses,” says Lt. Brian Reu of the Minnesota State Patrol.

DPS reminds motorists to anticipate children, especially in a school bus “danger zone” — the area around a bus where children are at greatest risk. Parents should also discuss and demonstrate pedestrian safety with their children and reinforce safe crossing after exiting a bus.

In Minnesota, motorists must stop for red flashing lights and when stop arms are extended — both when driving behind a bus and when coming toward a bus on undivided roads.

Bus Safety Tips for Children:
• When getting off a bus, look to be sure no vehicles are passing on the shoulder (side of the road).
• Before crossing the street, take five “giant steps” out from the front of the bus, and make eye contact with the driver. 
• Wait for the driver to signal that it’s safe to cross.
• Look left-right-left when coming to the edge of the bus to make sure traffic is stopped. Keep watching traffic when crossing.

Pedestrians Safety Tips:
• Cross only at intersections or crosswalks.
• Obey all traffic signs and signals.
• Do not enter a crosswalk if a vehicle is too close or moving too fast to stop safely.
• Remember, the law requires pedestrians take responsibility for their own safety.

Motorist Safety Tips:
• Motorists must stop at least 20 feet from a school bus that is displaying red flashing lights and/or its stop arm is extended when approaching from the rear and from the opposite direction on undivided roads.
• Red flashing lights on buses indicates students are either entering or exiting the bus. 
• Motorists are not required to stop for a bus if the bus is on the opposite side of a separated roadway (median, etc.) — but they should remain alert for children.
• Altering a route or schedule to avoid a bus is one way motorists can help improve safety. In doing so, motorists won’t find themselves behind a bus and as a result, potentially putting children at risk.
• Watch for school crossing patrols and pedestrians. Reduce speeds in and around school zones.
• Watch and stop for pedestrians — the law applies to all street corners, for both marked and unmarked crosswalks (all street corners). Treat every corner as a crosswalk.  

BACK TO SCHOOL WITH PATCH
To read recent back-to-school posts on Apple Valley-Rosemount Patch, click on following headlines:

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