Full Notification

The Carlstadt Office of Emergency Management would like to remind everyone that it is the time of year when school begins. Carlstadt Public School started today, September 6^th and Becton Regional High School will begin tomorrow, Tuesday, September 7^th. This means that there will be more pedestrian and vehicular traffic near the schools, as well as school busses picking up the high school students.  As a reminder, we offer you the following safety tips:
DRIVERS

• Observe School Zone Speeds
  • Although you should always obey posted speed limits, it is especially important during the school year. Children crossing the road on their way to and from school can easily get distracted and step into harm's way. Slowing down and being vigilant is crucial to keeping kids safe. Children are often out throughout the day at recess, lunch, and for certain classes, so it's important to drive slowly throughout the day.
• Obey the Crossing Guard
  • A crossing guard is there to keep children safe. If you come up to a set of lights, and the light turns green, but the crossing guard still says stop, follow his/her direction and not the traffic light. There might be a child still crossing the street that you can't see.
• Watch for Darting Children
  • Kids are small and easily distracted, and for drivers, this can create dangerous situations on the roads. Be vigilant and alert behind the wheel. You never know when a small child might step out from between parked cars or off a sidewalk. Your fast reflexes might be needed to prevent an accident.
• School Buses
  • New Jersey law requires that you stop for a bus with flashing red lights and / or a mechanical stop sign being visible regardless of your direction of travel unless you are on a road split with a divider. Do not pass a bus with flashing red lights as it is loading or unloading children who may cross in front of the bus.

• Leave early enough to arrive at school at least 10 minutes prior to the start of school.
• Always use public sidewalks and streets when walking to school.
• Try and walk to school with other students. There is strength in numbers.
• Only cross streets at designated crosswalks, street corners and traffic controlled intersections.
• Always look both ways before crossing the street and never enter streets from between obstacles like parked cars, shrubbery, signs, etc.
• Always walk and never run across intersections.