District 20 in Colorado Springs needs help to address shortage of crossing guards

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- COVID-19 has created a lot of different challenges for schools trying to reopen this Fall -- some of those challenges are obvious, but some of them you may not even realize are a problem. One issue District 20 is currently facing due to COVID-19 is the lack of crossing guards.

Brett Smith, Principal of Timberview Middle School, said, “The broader message of this is that we provide a safe environment in the school and external to the school and we want kids coming and leaving feeling that they are safe and taken care of.”

As students return back to in-person learning, schools are doing everything they can to keep children safe inside the classroom. But these students have to make it to the classroom first.

Brian Grady, District 20 Executive Director for Security and Transportation, said, “We have currently 16 unfilled crossing guard positions spread across 10 schools in the district.”

Smith says he hopes to have the positions filled as soon as possible, as Timberview Middle School has the most open positions in the district. District 20 previously relied on the older population and retirees, but because of COVID-19 a lot of them have resigned.

“In each resignation, it was not the kids, it was not the weather conditions, it wasn’t the snow and the cold days, they loved the kids. It had more to do with health concerns in being in that at-risk population and just being fearful of this,” said Smith.

It’s not a major issue as of this week due to the fact that only elementary schools are open but Grady says as secondary schools look to return next week, those 16 open positions could mean students crossing the streets unattended.

“The alternative if we can’t fill them is that we won’t be able to staff those two locations at research and Scarborough and Austin Bluffs. If we are unable to do that then our message to parents is that we want them to talk to their kids about safely crossing the street.”

If you would like to apply, you can do so by clicking here. The work is just two hours a day, one hour in the morning and one hour in the afternoon.