A teacher standsin the middle of the crosswalk where Kenrose Elementary's drive meets Raintree Parkway on Wednesday.
|
|
Busy Kenrose intersection solicits safety concerns
By KERRI BARTLETT
For Brentwood Home Page
At Scales Elementary School, crossing guard Elizabeth St. Vincent greets drivers and walkers every morning with a big smile and a warm salutation. A homemaker who walked her children to school, St. Vincent decided in 2008 that she might as well become a crossing guard to earn extra money, while serving her home school and community. “I love my job. I love seeing the same smiling faces every day, and I enjoy the camaraderie with officers from the Sheriff’s Office and their continuous support,” says St. Vincent.
| Help wanted |
|
No previous experience is necessary to apply for a school crossing guard position with the Williamson County Sheriff's Office.
Crossing guards are trained by an officer on how to safely direct the flow of traffic. Crossing guards are only responsible for controlling the flow of traffic and maintaining safe traffic conditions in the area to which they are assigned.
A crossing guard’s duties last as long as the school zone lights are flashing in their designated school area, which averages about one hour during arrival and one hour during dismissal.
The rate is $13 an hour. To apply for the crossing guard position at Kenrose Elementary School, please call Cpt. Roddy Parker at 790-5558. For more information about the job, click here.
|
It’s not an easy job. St. Vincent reports that she sees about 150-200 cars pass through the school’s car rider line each day. But she says she enjoys “being the first smiling face that families see in the morning and the last smiling face they see in the afternoon.”
No friendly face awaits the car riders, walkers and bikers across town at Kenrose Elementary, however. The school, with its 770 enrolled students, hasn’t had a crossing guard since spring, and parents and school staff are concerned about children’s safety.
School principal, Dr. Marilyn Webb, said, “It has been an ongoing problem, a real frustration and a dangerous situation for our children. We are a community school and have a large number of walkers, car riders and bike riders. We just want all of our children to be safe.”
 |
| Crossing guard Elizabeth St. Vincent directs traffic at Scales Elementary on Murray Lane. |
The lack of a crossing guard isn’t for lack of trying. The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office, which hires and funds a majority of the county’s crossing guards, has been advertising non-stop for the job but so far, no one has applied.
“We continue to advertise and have had no one apply for the position. We can’t assign anyone if no one applies,” Captain Roddy Parker said. “We are also staying in contact with the Brentwood Police Department about the situation and keeping them informed.”
The Sheriff’s Office has taken great measures to advertise the Kenrose position via radio, TV, local newspapers, even Facebook. The school even posted the opening in its weekly newsletter, “The Bird’s Eye View,” but no applicants came forth.
The position remains open as posted on its website.
The Sheriff’s Office budgets and hires crossing guards for Independence High, Page High, Grassland (elementary and middle), Heritage Middle, Sunset Middle, Woodland Middle, Crockett Elementary, Oakview Elementary, Clovercroft Elementary, Scales Elementary, Trinity Elementary and Kenrose Elementary. The only school that does not have a crossing guard at this time is Kenrose.
The cities of Franklin and Fairview provide schools in their municipalities with crossing guards.
“Many of our students at Kenrose are walkers and bikers. I fear for their safety without a crossing guard,” said PTO President Jane McGrath. “One would think that due to the rough economy, it would not be so difficult to find someone with so many people out of work and looking for jobs,” she added later.
But crossing guards are usually assigned to schools close to where the applicant resides, said Chief Deputy Robert “Dusty” Rhoades. Potential applicants might not be willing to make the commute twice a day to work an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon for $13 an hour, Parker said.
|
“It would be tragic if someone got hurt in front of the school because we did not have a crossing guard.”
Cindy Danelz
Kenrose parent
|
The Kenrose school community has taken the situation into its own hands as much as it’s able. Because no stoplight exists on Raintree Parkway, which runs in front of the school, parents now treat the two-way stop at the school’s entrance as a four-way stop during arrival and dismissal times, McGrath said. “But, neighbors and drivers who do not have children at Kenrose do not realize this,” she added.
“It is not only dangerous for children crossing the intersection but for drivers too,” said parent Cynthia Heard who walks her children to school. She worries about drivers not privy to the informal “four-way stop” practice driving straight through it.
“It would be tragic if someone got hurt in front of the school because we did not have a crossing guard,” parent Cindy Danelz said.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, in the event of an accident, the driver is responsible.
Last fall, when Kenrose last had a crossing guard, the school’s flow of traffic was dramatically improved, parents say. “The car rider line went much smoother and was quicker when we had a crossing guard to control the flow of traffic in and out of the school,” said Dana Miller, who drives her children to school. “ When the flow going out of the school gets backed up, it really slows things down. Another plus to having a crossing guard was cutting down on the speeders on Raintree Parkway.”
Dr. Webb said, “We appreciate the Sheriff’s Office for funding the crossing guards and for advertising the position, we just hope that this situation will continue to be addressed and solved very soon. We hope that they find someone who wants to help us keep our children safe.”
|
Email
Print
