Safety Signs for Schools

Safety signs are an important part of everyday life. They provide information on particular actions and are usually color coded. At school, children should learn to identify safety signs at an early age to understand their purpose and meaning. Safety signs outside, around and inside the school exist to protect children, teachers, visitors and drivers. Safety signs are also used to inform people of rules and responsibilities. There may be standard safety signs like crosswalks and school zones but most school safety signs are not standardized. Sometimes, teachers may make them to suit a specific purpose.

Outside the School

• Crosswalks and automated crosswalks can sometimes be found outside of schools along with normal traffic lights. Crosswalks are usually located at the corner of an intersection and have painted white lines across the road to the opposite corner. These are used by pedestrians and schoolchildren. Automated crosswalks have poles with traffic devices. They usually have a lit stick-figure in a walking position when it is safe to cross, and can be accompanied by a countdown timer with it spoken out loud.

Buses

• Buses are often used by school corporations to taxi children to and from school when their homes are too far to easily reach school by foot. Safety is especially a concern with school buses since children often cross the street in front of the school bus when exiting it. School buses have an arm attached near the driver's side containing a small stop sign, which functions as a normal stop sign. When it is out, it means drivers must stop because children are crossing the street.

School

• Inside the school, a variety of safety signs can be found for safety purposes and for rules and regulations. Safety signs may tell students not to run in the hall, or to be quiet in the library. Also, janitors may put up wet floor signs in the presence of spills or messes. In cases of emergencies, fire safety signs can show where fire extinguishers and fire exits are located.

Science Classes

• Science classes pose a different safety issue because of the various chemicals they have stored for experimenting purposes. In chemistry classes, there are warnings against touching, smelling and tasting chemicals without permission. Students should also always wear safety equipment like gloves and goggles. Rules like these are usually posted somewhere in the lab. Ask the teacher about the safety procedures if you have questions.

School Zone

• School zones are areas around the school where pedestrians frequent during school hours. During these school hours, drivers must adhere to reduced speed limits and cannot exceed them. These limits do not apply on non-school days. Violators are subject to fines and the court of law.