For Immediate Release: 8/24/2015 Montgomery County’s Back-to-School Safety Information Available on Summer of Safety Webpage The 2015-2016 Montgomery County public school year will begin on Monday, August 31, and now is the time to review all those important back-to-school safety tips to make certain that everyone is properly prepared. This year the County’s Summer of Safety webpage at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/summersafety is a one-stop back-to-school information source from the Montgomery County Police, Fire and Rescue Service, Department of Transportation, Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security and the Public Information Office. Included is information about safe walking, biking and riding the bus to school. There are also reminders about safe driving for adults and new teen drivers, safety tips for latchkey kids, and the vaccinations that are required for admittance to school. The Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services reminds parents that all children starting kindergarten must have proof of their required immunizations (see requirements here). Maryland state regulations have also changed and require incoming 7th and 8th graders to show proof of vaccination against Tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis (Tdap) and Meningococcal meningitis (MCV4) prior to the start of the school year. Free vaccinations for incoming 7th and 8th graders will be available at the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Back-to-School Fair on Saturday, August 29 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at MCPS’ Carver Educational Center, located at 850 Hungerford Drive in Rockville. Call 3-1-1 to make an appointment or book a vaccination appointment on line at www2.montgomerycountymd.gov/VaccineClinic/. Since January 2014, the County has conducted an automated school bus camera enforcement program. Every driver should know that when approaching a stopped school bus with activated stop sign and flashing red lights, Maryland law requires that all traffic from both directions must stop and remain stopped until the stop sign and lights are de-activated. That includes when driving on a two-lane roadway, a two-lane roadway with a center turning lane and a four-lane roadway without a median separation. The only exception is for a divided highway of four lanes or more with a median separation. The lanes of traffic separated by the median and going in the opposite direction from the bus do not have to stop. Traffic going in the same direction of the bus, does of course, have to stop. The fine from the automated enforcement is $125. No points are associated with a citation issued through this program. If a driver is stopped by a police officer for passing a stopped school bus with flashing lights, the fine is $570 and 3 points. With the start of a new school year, summer all too quickly comes to an end. The Summer of Safety staff and all of the County departments involved in helping keep our neighbors safe, encourage everyone to “fall” into making safety a consistent part of their lives. Safety tips and hazard prevention aren’t just confined to summer, safety is for all seasons. # # # Release ID: 15-307 Media Contact: Lucille Baur 240-777-6507

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