Coun. Nigussie Nigussie is taking tentative steps toward having crossing guards at Barrie elementary schools.
The rookie councillor, who was elected last October, says that during the Ward 6 campaign he was asked by a few residents about crossing guards at Ferndale Woods Elementary School, located at 170 Ferndale Dr. S.
Nigussie noted community safety is one of the new council’s strategic priorities, although crossing guards come at a cost.
“The staff report from 2015 includes costing of $650,000 for a program,” he said. “This cost has likely increased since the time of the report.
“In talking to staff this would have to be a city council decision and not a Barrie police decision, as the crossing guards would be municipal employees.”
Nigussie said he’s not familiar with any crossing-guard programs in place at Barrie schools.
“In other cities, school boards support the program in principle,” he said. “I plan to talk with the community safety committee about this possible program and then possibly ask staff to do an updated analysis of the cost and number of accidents in and around school zones.”
Peter Leon, corporate communications co-ordinator with the Barrie Police Service, said it has no numbers on pedestrians being struck by vehicles near city schools.
“Reporting is intersection or road-location based,” he said. “Road and traffic safety are priorities for the Barrie Police Service, and we work to ensure that these priorities are met daily. We support initiatives that help promote a safer community.”
Officials from both school boards indicated that crossing guards at Barrie schools would need to be a city initiative.
“It is my understanding that crossing guards are arranged through the municipality, not the school board,” said Pauline Stevenson, manager of communications and strategic initiatives with Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board, which has 13 elementary schools in Barrie.
“Fortunately, many of the municipalities across the county employ crossing guards who support safety within school walking zones, and we have strong relationships with the crossing guards in those communities,” said Sarah Kekewich, communications manager for the Simcoe County District School Board, which has 25 elementary schools in Barrie, including Ferndale Woods.
“The SCDSB does not receive any funds to train students as crossing guards," she added. “We remain committed to working with our school communities and municipalities to develop strategies that will minimize traffic and increase safety during the busy drop-off and pick-up times, as it is a shared responsibility."
Nigussie indicated he might like more support, however, for crossing guards at Barrie schools.
“It is my understanding that school boards support the program, but don’t fund it,” he said. “Ideally, they would come to the table with financial support to help offset the cost.”
Barrie has had a student school crossing-guard program, and it works just like it sounds. The crossing guards are volunteers, usually Grade 7 or 8 students, who wear fluorescent vests and stand at intersections to hold the children back until they think it’s safe to cross the street.
Student school crossing guards don’t have any power to stop traffic, however. When it’s safe to cross the road, they let kids go across. They are normally there 15 minutes before school, 15 minutes afterwards, at some schools.
The city provides $30,000 in annual funding to the school boards to train student crossing guards.
That funding is included in this year’s city operating budget, said Craig Millar, Barrie’s chief financial officer.
The matter of school crossing guards was not on Wednesday night’s general committee agenda.
