Transportation Safety

In the days ahead, students across the state will be heading back to class. Whether riding the bus, walking, biking, or driving, it is important to keep safety in mind and to remind others of safe transportation practices. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), "from 2008 to 2017, there were 264 school-age children killed in school-transportation-related crashes. The majority of those students weren’t on the bus; 203 were either walking, waiting for the bus, biking, or in another vehicle." To help promote safety, the NHTSA has created a list of Back to School Safety Tips For All Drivers, Students, and Parents . The NHTSA also provides information on School Bus Safety .

Using Postcards to Reduce Absenteeism

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) recently provided information on a program that uses postcards to help reduce absenteeism. According to NIJ, the "program uses a 'nudge' postcard to reduce student absenteeism by increasing parents’ or guardians’ awareness of non-attendance. The postcard is designed to motivate them to encourage their children to improve attendance and academic performance." NIJ also noted that "there was a statistically significant decrease in posttreatment absenteeism for the intervention group, compared with the control group." For more information on the program, click here.

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