As students head back into classrooms across Illinois, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security (IEMA-OHS) is encouraging families to think about all the ways your children can be prepared. Each year, schools must deal with severe weather, transportation problems, digital safety, and even violence. Students can confidentially reach out to Safe2Help several ways:

• Call 1-844-4SAFEIL (723345)

• Text SAFE2 (72332)

• Online at https://app.safe22helpil.com/

• Email HELP@Safe2HelpIL.com

• Download the Safe2HelpIL app (Android or iOS).

For other adverse events, weather alerts on cell phones, communication plans with family members, and drills at school are all helpful if students are at school during a tornado or other damaging weather event. Parents should find out the cell phone policy for their children’s schools because that would change how students get information. In terms of digital security, students should have strong passwords on their devices and be extremely careful about what applications they use and with whom they share information. For more information, visit Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security (IEMA-OHS): Ready.Illinois.Gov