EDITORIAL: Crossing guards are needed
Published 8:36 am Thursday, September 10, 2009
It was back to work Wednesday for local adult crossing guards who spend a portion of their mornings and afternoons making sure our students cross certain intersections safely.
The program was cut earlier this year by the city council, which has managed and funded a large portion of the service for at least three decades.
Last year, the city contributed $11,000 to paying the crossing guards, with $2,000 coming from Austin Public Schools.
On Tuesday, the first day of school and the first day without adult crossing guards, some concerned parents approached the city council and wanted the guards back.
“Having a crossing guard gives us a lot of reassurance,” parent Danielle Nesvold told the council.
The council then moved to fund the guards for one month until a permanent solution can be found.
In addition to the adult crossing guards, Austin Public Schools Superintendent David Krenz said the district also utilizes student guards at its elementary schools. Krenz said these jobs are usually done by fifth graders who take on a leadership role and who go through training first.
Krenz also said that officials from Austin Public Schools, the City of Austin and the Austin Police Department are looking to meet in the near future to help solve the problem.
“We’re working to try to find the best solution here and to try to find a way to make it happen,” Krenz said.
Crossing guards are needed to ensure the safety of our students, and it’s clear this program needs to be seriously looked at. City, police and school officials need to decide what the best solution is and whether the four locations that are currently staffed are enough.
As we see it, there are three options.
One, the service is paid for by the taxpayer, either through the schools or through the city. Two, the service is paid for by private citizens, perhaps parents. And three, the crossing guard program is fully staffed by students or parent volunteers at the locations needed.
The bottom line is this service is needed, and we hope a solution is found sooner rather than later.
