Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan Hosted Back to School Event
Woburn, MA – With the new school year just beginning, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan hosted a “Back-to-School” educational event for parents, caretakers, and children. Approximately 250 adults and children attended.
“It’s the time of year when all of us, parents, caregivers, and grandparents, need to be reminded about important safety measures to ensure our children’s well-being during the new school year,” said District Attorney Ryan. “Sharing this information again and again allows us to reach as many people as possible. We are committed to working with parents, school districts and with other community partners to foster safe and healthy learning environments where children will enjoy and benefit from their school experience”.
The Back-to-School Safety Event offered parents an opportunity to learn about issues affecting the health and safety of school-aged children, such as bullying, cyber safety, dating abuse and drugs and alcohol. Resource booths for parents were staffed by representatives of the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and other community organizations. Police officers from the Burlington, Wilmington and Woburn Police Departments offered free car seat installations and checks for new and expectant parents as well as for grandparents and other caretakers. Children were able to explore the many emergency vehicles that were on hand, a fun and educational activity where children and parents could interact with law enforcement and other first responders.
The fleet of vehicles at the event included fire trucks, ambulances, police cruisers and motorcycles, S.W.A.T Rescue Vehicles, Military Police Vehicles and more. Public safety demonstrations will be provided by the Wilmington State Police K-9 Unit, the Massachusetts State Police Mounted Unit, and the State Police Dive Team. Public safety representatives from local, state and federal agencies will participate in the event.
This event is part of District Attorney Ryan’s ongoing effort to protect children. In June, District Attorney Ryan launched the 2015 Summer Safety Awareness Campaign, a county-wide public education initiative aimed at preventing accidental deaths common in the summer months. In December, she rolled out a county-wide Infant Safe Sleep Awareness Campaign to educate the public about the risk factors for Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID). District Attorney Ryan is the Chair of Middlesex Partnerships for Youth, Inc., the 501c3 school-based training arm of the District Attorney’s Office. She also Chairs the Middlesex Safe Babies, Safe Kids Task Force, a cross-sector, interdisciplinary partnership of healthcare workers, law enforcement officials and child welfare advocates.
Middlesex County is the most populous county in Massachusetts and one of the most populous counties in the country with 54 towns and cities and 26 colleges in urban, suburban, and rural areas, comprising over one quarter of the population of Massachusetts. The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office has offices throughout the county, including in Ayer, Cambridge, Concord, Framingham, Lowell, Malden, Marlborough, Newton, Somerville, Waltham and Woburn.