Crossing Guards – Keeping our children safe
In many places in this country, our children walk to school, some may even take their bicycle. During this journey, whether long or short, they will intersect with the general public who are driving motor vehicles. These aren’t just parents of other children at the school, they are everyday people, going about their everyday lives and not always paying attention to the little ones who may walk in front of their car. This is why many schools either employ or have volunteer crossing guards.
The crossing guards not only help children cross the street, but they also help control traffic and make the little ones a lot more visible. They act as the eyes and ears of our children, constantly aware of potential unsafe drivers. In Henderson, a suburb of Las Vegas, they employ 160 school crossing guards for 24 elementary schools at 45 school crossings.
Not all police departments employ crossing guards, though, some are volunteers, some are employed by the school themselves, and some are employed by the department of transportation; the laws vary from state to state. Oftentimes, the need for crossing guards starts in the community. Parents and teachers may see a need for them across certain streets coming to the campus.
Not all of these guards are paid. There are many schools that use volunteers instead. While this might be great for the school budget, volunteers are not always trained as well as their paid counterparts, and if things go wrong, it is much more difficult to enforce disciplinary action. Whether paid or not, all crossing guards should go through a background check as they are dealing with minors on a day to day basis.
Even if your state’s police department or department of transportation does not employ crossing guards, that doesn’t mean that you can disregard them. Ignoring them not only puts kids lives in danger, but can also result in a traffic ticket. Regardless of whether or not you have a stop sign, if you see a guard in the crosswalk, stop and wait for him or her to leave the crosswalk before passing unless directed to do otherwise.
These people deserve, not only for you to yield right of way to them, but a smile and a wave is also very much appreciated. After all, they are keeping your children safe, and some days can suffer a lot of abuse for doing such a task. On any given day, you never know who they will prevent from injury. Children are our future,let’s give those that watch out for them a round of applause.