Park your phone. Buckle up. Slow down. Be safe.
Those were the messages Superintendent Kimberly Hill, and members of the Charles County Sheriff’s Office shared with La Plata High School student drivers this morning during the kickoff of the ninth annual We Care campaign.
La Plata High School student drivers were greeted Aug. 31 by Sheriff Troy Berry, Hill and officers who passed out fliers reminding the teens of driving rules and driving safety. It was a safety message repeated at all county high schools where school resource officers, principals and staff members also stopped and passed out flyers to student drivers as they arrived to school.
“We care about you and we want you to be safe,” Hill told students as they drove into the parking lot. The Superintendent reminded students of the dangers of texting and driving as she handed each a flier with the rules of the road.
The We Care campaign was established nine years ago to get students involved in a conversation about safe driving. While it starts with the morning reminder the first week of school, the program continues throughout the year with assemblies, guest speakers and other activities.
“Since the We Care program started, crashes involving teen drivers have drastically reduced in Charles County. We continue to promote safe driving because we care about our young drivers,” Berry said.
School resource officers often conduct spot checks in school parking lots throughout the school year to ensure students are buckling up, limiting their passengers to those allowed by law and not texting or talking on cell phones while driving.
To learn more about the program, visit ccso.us/wecare.
Charles County Public Schools provides 26,300 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 36 schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.
The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Dr. Patricia Vaira, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (students) or Pamela K. Murphy, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 coordinator (employees/ adults), at Charles County Public Schools, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, MD 20646; 301-932-6610/301-870-3814. For special accommodations call 301-934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event.
