LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Metro Council members say there's something lacking in the city's budget and they plan to correct it in the spring. The majority of Louisville's schools do not have a crossing guard, and those who do often get notified of staffing changes that leave them without one.
Metro Council members say it needs to be a priority this year and admit that responsibility lies with them.
Republican Councilman Jeff Hudson, from District 23, says crossing guards are needed more than ever in Jefferson County.
"I don't think there's a single reason. There was the [JCPS] bus fiasco at the beginning of the school year. It caused a lot of parents to say, I'm just going to drive my child, so there's more cars showing up at each school," Hudson said.
It's led to more congestion on main roads, and more traffic for kids to dodge.
"I hear from people all the time in my district. Whether it's from Sacred Heart Academy, Field Elementary, Chenoweth Elementary, there are issues every morning, and every afternoon," Councilman Andrew Owen, a Democrat representing District 9 said.
"In my district alone, I had two kids get hit outside Moore High. I had an 8-year-old boy get hit in front of Luhr," Hudson said.
Republican Councilman Khalil Batshon represents District 25, which encompasses Valley Station. He says he wants to discuss ways JCPS can better use its campuses at each school to help with the traffic.
"When there's ample room on JCPS property to funnel cars in and out and get them off the road, we're being told, no. There's not enough in the budget to pave this or gravel this," Batshon said.
He mentioned Lassiter and Medora sit in neighborhoods where car riders line the neighborhood streets, causing obstacles for both walkers and first responders.
"JCPS says it's a parent problem, a human behavior problem. I don't see it that way," Hudson said. "To see hundreds of cars lined up blocking emergency services on the roads and say it's a human behavior problem, it's not right, it's systemic. A system breakdown."
JCPS Communications Director Carolyn Callahan said the district's in continuous communication with Metro government and LMPD when it comes to crossing guards.
"We know LMPD is working hard to recruit crossing guards to help ensure the safety of our students as they walk to and from school each day," Callahan said.
Batshon says he's already invested $12,000 for pedestrian safety outside Stonestreet Elementary, which includes a new flashing sign and restriping Stonestreet Road, where he says there's hardly ever a traffic guard.
"It's a signal to slow down. School's in session. It controls the traffic pattern I feel," Batshon said.
But street projects like this aren't always given the green light.
"I asked, can I get a flashing crossing sign at Moore? And KYTC said, nope, doesn't warrant it. You gotta have a crossing guard, and I said, we can't get one," Hudson said.
Even with crosswalks, and extra signage, Councilman Owen says crosswalks can give the pedestrian a false sense of security.
"I've seen some close calls," he said.
Owen says it's up to Metro Council to make the next call, which means taking a look at the budget in the coming months and finding additional money for the LMPD Traffic Guard Program.
"We need to make it easier and more attractive for people to want to become crossing guards," Hudson said.
All three council members we spoke to agree, they need to boost starting pay above its current $15.30/hr.
"It's us allocating money through LMPD to make that happen," Owen said.
Majority Caucus Chair, Councilwoman Dr. Paula McCraney says school crossing guards are just as crucial to our schools as the teachers and administrative staff.
"We rely on them to manage traffic and keep all walkers safe crossing busy streets. If safety is a priority for our city, staffing crossing guards should be at the top of everyone’s agenda. The struggle to hire crossing guards for our schools has been ongoing for some time now, and there is no solution in sight. While police officers fill in temporarily as crossing guards, it is not the fix we need, as they must leave the school without advance notice if they get a call to respond to reports of criminal activity or other emergencies. My question is, how do you prioritize any community issue over the safety of our children?”
"The union contract for crossing guards is coming up this year," Hudson said. "So, in the budget committee, we'll be having those conversations, to see how to get more pay, more attractive jobs because we cannot get enough people into those positions."
"We have a retired firefighter, retired teachers, people that work in the community that want to give back," Sgt. Michael Torres, with the LMPD Traffic Guard Program said.
People like Deondra Kimble, who works as a crossing guard at three different schools both morning and afternoon to help fill that gaps.
"I semi-retired from my corporate America job to go into full-time catering and then Covid hit. After that, I needed some health insurance, so that's why I took this job," Kimble said.
But if you ask her why she's stayed in this job the last three years, the answer's simple. The kids. Kimble knows just about everyone who crosses her path.
"I know the times they come through. Some are a little later coming across, but there should be 2 more coming," she said during an afternoon outside Bloom Elementary.
She's the buffer between families and drivers who might not notice them. She's hard to miss, with the bright neon jacket, a big stop sign and a whistle.
"This is a dangerous street and if I can help these children get across safely," Kimble said. "Like the car that just came through earlier, she was paying no attention and that's typically what happens."
She tells everyone she sees, see you tomorrow! It's a promise parents rely on.
Kimble's one of 78 traffic guards employed by Metro Police, seven of whom are on extended leave. That's well below the 112 LMPD's authorized to have.
"We're trying to recruit as much as we can. We're always hiring, taking applications weekly," Sgt. Torres said.
But the numbers just aren't there to protect kids at every school. Blocks from Kimble's post, middle schoolers are on their own, darting across traffic that doesn't stop.
"Which is a huge problem," Councilman Hudson said.
LMPD's crossing guards have the ability to cover 113 schools. But most days, with sick leave or vacation time, anywhere from 50-70 of those schools are left without one. Locations are based on a 3-day traffic and pedestrian survey by each school's principal or administrator and then again by LMPD.
"That is then sent to the Traffic Commander who will review the best course of action for that specific school or intersection," Sgt. Torres said. "We do our best to cover every school post we can."
Crossing guards also have a say in which school they're given, so it often depends on travel time and convenience. If you're considering joining the LMPD Traffic Guards, click here.
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