Parent Resources > Safe Kids Program

For those parents who have ever had a child ride their bike to school, or walk to the school bus stop alone, it can be a very anxious time for the parent as well as the child. SafeKids is a program designed to assure parents that their child has arrived safely at school.

SafeKids is a separate school phone number used for the sole purpose of recording absences. Parents are asked to phone the SafeKids telephone line at Lower Salford, 215-256-6922 before 9:00a.m. when their child is going to be late or absent or for any unscheduled reason.

All calls to the SafeKids line will be answered by an automated answering system, which is in operational 24 hours a day. A prerecorded voice will answer the calls and will request all necessary information.

At approximately 9:00a.m. all phone messages received by the answering system will be logged in and recorded on a daily attendance sheet. The attendance sheet is then compared to that day's daily absence sheet reported by each classroom teacher. If the teacher reports a child absent and a phone message was received on the SafeKids answering system, no further action is necessary. However, if the teacher reports a child absent and a phone message was not received by SafeKids, a telephone call is placed to the parent (or contact person designated on the child's Data File card) inquiring about the status of the child. SafeKids would be able to alert the parent to any problem before 10:00a.m., therefore allowing immediate action to be taken rather than waiting until the end of the school day.

At the tone, please give your child's name, room number, reason for absence, and name of the person placing the call. If you anticipate your child will be absent longer than two days and you are requesting homework, please leave brief instructions as to how you would like to receive this work. If a parent feels the need to speak to a teacher, they may leave a message for the teacher to return their call. Should you have any questions regarding other school-related issues, please call 215-256-9121. Thank you for participating in the SafeKids program.

A Data File card will be established for each student. This information is confidential and will be seen only by those individuals directly involved with the program. The Data File card will contain the following information for every student: name, address, grade, teacher, room number, home phone number, whether they walk or take a bus (bus #), or are driven by parent. Also listed will be the name and phone number of three individuals who will be contacted should unreported absence/non-arrival occur. These individuals should be parents, guardians, close friends, or neighbors. The information contained on the Data File card may be updated as necessary by a parent/guardian.

It is to be understood that this program does not replace the need for a written excuse upon a student's return to school. After an absence, every student must provide the school with a written excuse signed by a parent or guardian. Also, all educational trips or vacations must have prior approval of the building principal. It is not necessary to call SafeKids for any previously approved scheduled absences.

It is not the intention of this program to keep track of the number of absences a child may accrue during the school year. SafeKids only records absences on a day-to-day basis and is not concerned with the number of absences taken by any student. In order for this program to succeed, every parent and/or guardian must understand that mandatory compliance is necessary with regard to reporting their child's absences. If is our hope that the peace of mind the program provides to every parent will certainly outweigh any inconvenience it may cause. The safe and sure arrival of every student is our only goal.