Parents are the experts on what their children need. Parents may wish to assure themselves that policies, programs and the school environment itself will protect and promote their child's safety and health. In this section, we outline questions that parents may use in discussions with school principals or school district officials to determine what policies are in place to address safety and health issues and whether those policies are understood within the school community. Because our schools are challenged by the everyday work of teaching children, sometimes good policies fall into disuse or new issues arise requiring new policies, procedures, and practices. This section of our web site is for those of you who want more information about school programming that affects children's health.

Most school districts will have policies addressing a range of issues affecting the health and safety of students. We have included sample school district policies in most of the sections that follow. While it is important to identify district-level policies, commonly what matters most is how those policies are implemented at your child's school. So, when you ask questions and gather information, start with your child's school. Talk with the principal, the school nurse, the school counselor, and the teachers. Learn what's happening. Talking with other parents and attending P.T.A. meetings are good ways of sharing what you learn. If old policies need updating -- or policies aren't in place -- this is where a conversation about change can begin.

• Keeping Children Safe: How does your school handle medical emergencies, school-wide emergencies, safety at school events off-campus, and playground safety. What policies and procedures are in place to create a physically safe school environment?
  
  
• Helping Children Stay Healthy: Questions you need to ask to assess how your school handles the following issues: medication management, health education classes, injuries at school, contagious infections, school nutrition programs (and vending machine policies), children in need of health services and needing help for emotional and behavorial problems.