SALEM — A prolonged crossing guard shortage has prompted the schools to seek school aides to staff crosswalks.
The School Committee approved a request from Superintendent William Cameron to invite paraprofessionals to apply for crossing guard posts, arriving an hour before school or staying an hour late to work a crossing guard shift.
"For safety reasons, we've got to fill these positions," Cameron said during an interview yesterday.
The schools are grappling with 11 vacancies among 34 positions — up from seven vacancies in mid-September. Cameron said he isn't sure why people have resigned; he noted that Salem pays crossing guards $11 an hour, among the lowest rates on the North Shore.
"I can't stress enough that I think all of the (locations) are important," police Lt. Robert Preczewski said at last night's School Committee meeting in the Collins Middle School. A car struck a Collins student crossing Highland Avenue the second day of school and the child broke his hand.
To help the schools, Preczewski reviewed all the crossing guard posts for traffic volume, location and traffic lights. He ranked the ones that are most critical for crossing guard coverage, giving 24 out of the 34 posts the highest priority.
According to the Police Department, crossing guard vacancies include:
Mill Hill and Canal Street
Jefferson and Loring avenues
Boston and Essex streets
Margin Street near Riley Plaza
North and Mason streets (Bates School)
Willson Street at the golf course, mornings (Bowditch School)
Willson Street
West Avenue and Lafayette Street (Horace Mann)
Highland Avenue and Jackson Street, afternoons (Collins)
Highland Avenue at Salem Hospital
Powder House Lane
Preczewski said, even on school property, he saw parents cutting each other off, idling where they shouldn't, and refusing to stop for one another.
"I realized on school property it's just as important (to have crossing guards)," said Preczewski, who heads the police traffic division. "Unfortunately, Salem is a city of an awful lot of traffic violations. It's very important the city try its best to fill these spots."
Preczewski said police are willing to fill in at crosswalks on a given day when officers are available.
Collins Principal Mary Manning said the schools aren't notified when a crossing guard is out sick.
Cameron said that by advertising the crossing guard positions to school aides, it instantly opens the jobs up to 170 people who are already working at the schools.
"I think it's something we owe it to the community to explore," Cameron said.
To inquire about a crossing guard position, contact the School Department at 978-740-1126.
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