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After a 16-year-old student was hit by a car near South Lakes High School in Fairfax County on Tuesday morning (the student was “taken to a hospital with minor injuries”), three current and former Fairfax County School Board members (see statements, below, by State Senator Stella Pekarsky, Delegate Laura Jane Cohen and School Board member Melanie Meren) urged the Board of Supervisors to “reconsider the defunding of high school crossing guards” in the county. When asked the other day about this funding, Fairfax County Chair Jeff McKay “said the decision to eliminate the high school guards was data-driven, in line with other Northern Virginia jurisdictions, and recommended by the FCPD”; McKay also noted that “Prior to this change, Fairfax County was the only jurisdiction in Northern Virginia providing crossing guards at high schools, and it is important to emphasize that there are no reductions to crossing guards serving elementary or middle school students.” What do you think?
P.S. Aso note, per this article, “Police stressed that the student was not in a crosswalk and was not at a location that had ever been assigned a crossing guard.”
VA State Senator (and former Fairfax County School Board member) Stella Pekarsky:
“Today, Laura Jane Cohen and I sent the following letter to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors urging them to reconsider the defunding of high school crossing guards in Fairfax County. The safety of our students should always come first.”
Fairfax County School Board member Melanie Meren:
“A student was hit by a car outside of South Lakes High School. Does Chairman Jeff McKay still think that our children are safe after seven days without high school crossing guards? Our FCPS teachers and staff stepped in to try to help with controlling traffic, the job of police officers, despite having no training. Eventually police officers and emergency responders arrived, which cost more than it would have to employ high school crossing guards in the first place. This happened because the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved the County Executive’s budget that cut high school crossing guards using the justification that we were the only local jurisdiction that had them. Is this ok with you? If you’re as outraged as I am, call and write Chairman Jeff McKay, as well as your magisterial supervisor, and tell them to restore high school crossing guards NOW! Post your thoughts on social media and let our elected officials know that we will not stand for this”
Also, here’s a statement from Fairfax County School Board member Kyle McDaniel:
“I have been in conversation with the Superintendent, School Board Members, and
Supervisors across the County to create a solution to this situation. I am optimistic that
we can restore crossing guard functions at our high schools through a combination of
police officers, crossing guards, school resource officers, and working with VDOT and
FCPS Safe Routes to Schools staff. Safety remains a top priority, and I am working
diligently to create a sustainable solution.”
Statement from Del. Holly Seibold:
