Killeen ISD is hosting School Safety Week with a wide range of demonstrations and activities that share one message – the importance of staying safe all the time.
Peebles Elementary School students took turns Thursday crawling through a pair of Killeen ISD Police Department cruisers, part of a demonstration emphasizing bicycle safety.
Officers Benjamin Kraft and Dakota Guzman, assigned to the northside of the district, including Peebles, told students to always feel free to approach them.
Guzman pulled out a rubber chicken and some stickers to show students.
Part of the presentation, though, was serious.
Both officers are frequently patrolling on bicycles, including at large events such as high school football games.
Anyone riding a bicycle, they said, must wear a helmet and should also consider knee pads and gloves.
Closed-toed shoes, probably tennis shoes, are also highly recommended, the officers said.
Another important safety feature for bikes is lights, though the police officers suggested younger students should not ride alone, especially in the dark. They should also limit their riding to sidewalks.
Answering questions, the uniformed officers explained that a bicycle is a useful police tool that allows them more mobility moving through a packed parking lot to quickly move to an area where they are needed.
They also showed students their radios they use to stay in touch with other police units.
During a Safety Week demonstration Wednesday at Timber Ridge Elementary School, students lined one side of the property to watch an air medic helicopter land on the playground.
Students got to see a KFD fire truck and the helicopter simultaneously.
Timber Ridge Counselor Deborah Devito said she wanted students to see the team effort involved in emergency medical care with both the medical vehicle and the fire truck.
On Friday, KISD’s remote-controlled Buster the Bus would visit to emphasize safety on the bus and throughout the community.
The rolling, talking miniature bus reminded students to arrive at their bus stop about 5 minutes early, to carefully walk up and down the stairs, to follow drivers' instructions and to stay clear of buses.
In his mechanical voice, Buster responded to students' questions, assuring them that he does have friends - all the big KISD buses as well as the drivers - and that his favorite food is gasoline.
He also showed off his dance moves and invited first students and then teachers to join him on the blacktop dance floor.
The school district moved its annual awareness campaign from winter to October to coincide with the National School Safety Center and America’s Safety Schools Week, October 16-20, 2023.
School Safety Week sets aside time to increase safety awareness for students and staff, engage in learning activities to support safe practices, and urge students and staff members to follow protocols.
Killeen ISD Police officers, both human and K9 are joining city police and firefighters, as well as the KISD transportation department in visiting schools, along with outside performers like the Morris Brothers comic team, which emphasize anti-bullying.
