HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 11/19/2019 - Memorandum From Joe Olson Re: School Crossing Guard InformationTraffic Operations
626 Linden
P.O. Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522.0580
970.221.6630
970.221.6282 - fax
www.fcgov.com/traffic
Planning, Development & Transportation
MEMORANDUM
Date: November 7, 2019
To: Mayor and City Councilmembers
Through: Darin Atteberry, City Manager
Jeff Mihelich, Deputy City Manager
Dean Klingner, Interim PDT Director
From: Joe Olson, City Traffic Engineer
Re: School Crossing Guard Information
In response to the tragedy at Lopez Elementary School, staffs from the City and Poudre School
District (PSD) have met to discuss the incident, compile information and provide the following
summary related to school crossing guards.
Our hearts and thoughts are with the family and all those impacted by the death of the young
student. Police Services is working on the investigation of the crash. Detailed review of the
circumstances and identification of any next steps will occur once the investigation is complete.
In the meantime, here is information on the School Crossing Guard Program.
Background
The School Crossing Guard Program has been a longtime program dating back to at least the
1980s. In 2000, an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) between the City and Poudre School
District formalized/refined the arrangement and administration of the program. The agreement
outlines that:
• The School District operates and administers the program. This includes providing
crossing guards, substitutes and overseeing training. This was done so the District
could utilize their policies and processes for hiring and background checks.
• The City provides annual funding in the amount of $94,350 towards the program. Any
additional costs are funded by the District (not to exceed $94,350). When this was most
recently reviewed during the 2013 – 2014 school year the total cost for the program was
approximately $120,000.
• The District and City work together to identify the most appropriate locations for crossing
guards. The IGA notes crossing guard provision for “arterial streets within the City and
located near elementary schools.” Thus, the focus of the program has been on
providing crossing assistance on higher speed, higher volume arterial roads that would
otherwise be difficult for students to cross.
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In 2015, the District undertook a program evaluation completed by a transportation consultant.
The consultant report included:
• Reviewing existing crossing guard locations with data, (concluding that all current
crossing guard locations are appropriate)
• Review of State and national guidance
• Review of programs in other communities
• Recommendation for the District and City to update the criterion to ensure consistent
application of crossing guards within the District.
The City and PSD subsequently worked together to update the School Crossing Guard Program
criteria. These criteria are primarily based on the City of Fort Collins’ adopted Pedestrian Plan
crossing guidance using adjustments for school aged students. It includes consideration for age
of students, number of students crossing, pedestrian delays and available gaps in traffic, and
recognition for complex intersection conditions. Consideration for new locations for crossing
guards are done upon request and focus on identified school walking routes that involve street
crossings. The updated criterion has broadened the potential locations beyond just arterials to
also include higher speed/higher volume collectors.
There are currently 14 official school crossing guard locations:
• Olander
• Bauder (2)
• O’dea (2)
• Riffenburgh
• Dunn
• Laurel (2)
• CLP
• Zach
• Beattie
• Kinard MS (2)
In addition to the City-wide crossing guard program, there are several schools that provide staff
to oversee some elements of transportation ingress/egress at schools. This includes directing
traffic in drop-off and pick-up lanes or supporting pedestrian/bike maneuvers by serving as a
crossing guard at locations directly adjacent to schools on smaller residential streets. We’ve
asked the District to compile information from all schools regarding the use of staff members as
crossing guards on minor streets during peak times.
Challenges and Complexities
There are a number of complexities that are inherent with the program. These issues are not
limited to PSD or the City of Fort Collins, but peer communities also struggle with some of these
challenges. The City of Boulder for example discontinued their formal crossing guard program
due to concerns about operation and related liability. Specific challenges include:
• The Poudre School District includes more than 30 elementary schools, often with
multiple roadway crossings along dedicated school walking routes at each school.
• Filling crossing guard positions is challenging. These positions are limited hours and
split for short timeframes in the morning and again in the afternoon. The District’s
experience is that there is limited interest in these positions making hiring difficult.
• Consistency and dependability are critical and proves to be challenging using
volunteers. Providing substitutes on short notice is difficult, resulting in senior staff at
times covering locations.
• All crossing guards, whether paid or volunteers must be trained and pass a background
check.
• The District does not provide crossing guard program support to charter schools.
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These items highlight the challenges with the administration and operation of the program. Any
consideration of expansion of the program would need to take these challenges into account.
Next Steps
As noted earlier, Police Services will be completing their crash investigation. A careful review of
those conclusions will occur.
Poudre School District is compiling information on all locations where schools are providing staff
support for circulation/crossings. This will provide a complete picture of the overall use of adults
to support students arriving and departing from schools.
We’ll continue to work with the school district to determine the most appropriate course of action
moving forward in terms of program, criteria, or location review.
Please let us know if you need additional information or would like to discuss.
cc: Paul Sizemore, FC Moves