Chaney Firm speaks to 2nd and 3rd graders about child safety

In partnership with the Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association and the Take 25 organization (www.take25.org), the lawyers of the Chaney Law Firm spoke to an assembly of second and third graders at Central Elementary on the morning of Wednesday, May 5th, to promote Child Safety. May 25 is National Missing Children’s Day, and May is a time for all of us to help kids understand how to stay safe in their homes, in their neighborhoods, at school, in public, and on the Internet. The Take 25 organization urges adults to take 25 minutes of their time to educate kids about the potential risks to kids’ safety and how to recognize and avoid those risks.

The Chaneys spoke to the children at Central Elementary about safety tips and encouraged a discussion with the students about what they can do to stay safe. The talk focused on what to do if strangers knock on their doors, or try to approach them in their neighborhoods, and how to protect personal information on the Internet, including how to choose safe user names and passwords. The students were encouraged to know their names, addresses, phone numbers, parents’ cell phone numbers, and where their parents work. The kids were instructed to write down the names of two trusted relatives or neighbors next to their home phones so they can get help if they are home alone. The Chaneys discussed how to stay safe on the way to school and what to do if they are bullied at school. The children were active participants in the discussion and asked great questions at the end of the presentation. The Chaneys finished the program by handing out stickers, magnets, child ID kits, safety rules, and a safety crossword puzzle. Parents of the Central Elementary children should help them fill out the child ID kits, which include space for identifying information about the child and room for a picture and fingerprints. If a child is abducted, parents can give the child ID kit to the police to quickly help return the child to safety.

The Chaneys encourage parents and kids to visit www.take25.org to learn more about child safety tips. There are 2,000 children abducted every day in the United States. Studies show that in 84% of abduction cases, children escaped their captors by their own actions, using their own good sense. Therefore, it really pays to keep kids as educated as possible about how to stay safe.

The Chaneys especially want to thank Melinda Morris and all the teachers and administrators at Central Elementary for hosting this important community event.