Crossing guards were temporarily reinstated at several Fairfax County high schools the day after a South Lakes High School student was struck by a car while crossing the street on the way to school in Reston.
The incident came in the midst of a heated debate about the Board of Supervisors’ decision to eliminate funding for some high school crossing guards. According to FCPS, the high schools included Annandale, Centreville, Chantilly, Edison, Oakton, South County, South Lakes, West Potomac, and West Springfield.
According to Fairfax County police, the driver of a vehicle struck a 16-year-old student. The student was taken to an area hospital with minor injuries, and the driver has been charged with Failure to Stop Before Entering a Highway. FCPD noted that the pedestrian was not in a crosswalk and was not in a location that had ever had a crossing guard.
In a statement Tuesday evening, Fairfax County School Board At-Large Representative Ryan McElveen said, “Beginning tomorrow, FCPD will begin providing uniformed crossing guard coverage at Centreville, Edison, South Lakes, West Potomac, and West Springfield High Schools based on initial concerns identified during their review of the crossing guard situation. Out of an abundance of caution, coverage will also be provided at Chantilly, Oakton, and McLean High Schools. FCPD will present its assessment of the crossing guard situation to the Board of Supervisors.”
Fairfax County School Board member Kyle McDaniel wrote in a Facebook post, “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 resources officers, and working with VDOT and FCPS Safe Routes to Schools staff.”
Concern About the Lack of Crossing Guards
Many parents have been vocal since school began about the dangerous traffic around South Lakes without a crossing guard.
School Board member Melanie Meren said that this incident raised concerns about the lack of crossing guards. She posted a video of the aftermath of the crash on YouTube.
“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,” Meren wrote in a Facebook post.
“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!” Meren continued.
McKay’s office has not yet responded to a request for comment.
Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity also addressed the issue in a Tuesday Facebook post. “Today Supervisor Bierman and I asked the County Executive to immediately reinstate crossing guards at the schools where the police department has identified significant issues while the Board considers my motion to reinstate them at certain high schools,” he wrote. “This comes following a week of issues with kids getting to school safely, news that a student was hit this morning at South Lakes High School and residents doing what they can to address the issues.”
Feature image, MichaelVi/stock.adobe.com
