Saratoga News

Cover Story

Photograph by George Sakkestad

Crossing guard Lin-Lin Tsou-Otani alerts oncoming motorists that children are crossing the street.

Guard Duty

Crossing guards the subject of a report to school

By Michele Tjin

Children are often too small to make eye contact with drivers when they cross the street. Crossing guards at schools provide an important buffer of safety, as they help children get safely from one side of the street to the other. But even with the presence of crossing guards, administrators still urge parents to be safe drivers, especially around schools.

At their Feb. 28 board meeting, trustees of the Saratoga Union School District heard a report about the staffing levels of crossing guards at each of its four schools. Eight guards and one substitute work to make sure drivers are aware that small pedestrians are crossing the street.

"I worry about traffic safety every day," superintendent Lane Weiss said. "Anything we can do to help the safety of our kids is a step in the right direction."

The report came a few weeks after a Foothill Elementary School fifth-grade girl was involved in a car accident near Lexington Court and Herriman Avenue. She was walking home from school in early February, and broke her leg in the accident.

"Accidents, while they are always a tragedy, are a good time to reflect," Weiss said.

Foothill principal Nancy Ondrejka said while the accident happened a bit away from the school and might not have have been prevented, she continually tells her parents to be alert and obedient drivers.

"I'm reminding our parents of the safety system in place and highlighting the issues that are a problem," she said. "People are in a hurry. Their situation is that they think it's more important to be on time [than to follow the rules]."

The cost to the district to have the crossing guards this year is about $52,000, said Kym Plaing, director of human resources. In the past, the city of Saratoga shared in payment for the guards, but beginning last year the district has shouldered all of the costs. An additional guard for the whole year would cost roughly $7,100.

The guards don't receive any formal training but do get a sheet of tips, instructing them to wear their safety vest, blow a whistle when holding their sign and to always watch for traffic.

"The veteran crossing guards will train the new crossing guards," Plaing said.

While it can be hard to recruit people to work as crossing guards, Plaing said her current group has recruited itself.

"When they have to resign, they contact me two weeks or a month in advance and say, 'I have a person in mind.' They talk to people they know before they talk to me," Plaing said.

Weiss said that he's observed young children walking up on the side of Highway 9 to get to school, with cars whizzing by at full speed. The schools can't work by themselves to ensure children are safe getting to and from schools, he said.

"We need that partnership with parents to take preventative measures," Weiss said.