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DICKINSON — It’s that time of year. School is back in session. Local enforcement stresses that drivers act defensively and that parents explain to their children how to handle situations when a stranger makes them uncomfortable.

Stark County Sheriff’s Lt. Eldon Mehrer said one of the key points is that it’s an awareness issue. Drivers should be on high alert in the mornings and mid-afternoons Monday through Friday — when students are entering and exiting the premises.

“There’s going to be an increase in vehicle traffic, and also pedestrian traffic. So folks just need to be aware that it’s going to be busy around those schools… Be courteous, be a defensive driver, make sure those pedestrians are given the right away on crosswalks and when crossing the street” Mehrer said. “If you're not dropping kids off or picking them up at those times, you might want to find an alternate route to travel.”

He also said drivers should make sure they aren’t blocking student pickup and dropoff areas, while being cognizant of school busses.

“When it comes to the school busses, understand loading and unloading of students, the busses are going to have yellow lights activated, or in some cases if they're actually getting off, pulled out of the stop arms will be extended with the red lights activated. In most cases a motorist is not allowed to pass the bus,” he said.

The penalty for speeding in a school zone varies by how far over the limit the driver was. The North Dakota Department of Transportation has a scale that determines when driving privileges can be suspended for moving violations.

According to their website, “Driving license or privileges shall be suspended upon an accumulation of 12 points for a period of seven days for each point over 11. For drivers under the age of 18, driving license or privileges will be canceled upon an accumulation of six or more points.”

Overtaking a school bus is a six point penalty and a $100 fine.

Mehrer also emphasized that any child riding their bicycle to school should wear a helmet and use a bike lock to keep it secure. Children must also know what to if a stranger approaches them inappropriately.

“If they feel uncomfortable that someone is approaching them or asking them to do something they don’t feel comfortable doing, get in contact with another adult or go to some sort of public place,” he said. “If someone tries to grab them, being loud and vocal is probably the best thing because it would draw attention to the situation and possibly scare off someone who's trying to abduct the child.”

Lt. Mike Hanel with the Dickinson Police Department said they’ve worked with Dickinson Public Schools on a new policy that will reduce the frequency of accidents coming out of the high school parking lot.

“We are now going to limit exiting from the west DHS parking lot to a right turn only. That left turn can be an extremely treacherous attempt to scoot out of the parking lot as quickly as possible. Several accidents and near accidents have occurred. So hopefully this change can mitigate those hazards in the future,” Hanel said. “We have similar situations with other exits in town where drivers attempting to be courteous in allowing someone else to make a left hand turn, but then a vehicle coming from the opposite direction does not stop.”

While the occurrence of school shootings is undeniably tragic, it's important to note that their frequency is much lower than what might be inferred solely from media coverage. According to data from the National Center for Education Statistics spanning from the 2000–01 to 2020–21 school years, the annual count of school shootings resulting in casualties within public and private elementary and secondary schools varied from 11 to 93.

Despite this, ensuring school security remains a paramount concern for the DPD. Expressing gratitude for their collaboration with the school district in upholding safety measures, Hanel emphasized the central role of the School Resource Program.

“We are very appreciative of the partnership we have with our school district in maintaining safety principles. Of course, the pinnacle to all this is our School Resource Program, which continues to get stronger every year,” Hanel said. “We currently have four school resource officers throughout the school system. They have daily interactions with the kids, creating strong bonds of trust. They are also there for the security component to the schools. All this combined should give parents the reassurance that should anything happen, we stand poised and ready to respond to those situations.”