photo by: Austin Hornbostel/Journal-World

A crossing guard helps students and their families safely cross the street at the intersection of 19th and Vermont streets outside Cordley Elementary School following the first day of the new school year Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023.

Updated at 4:20 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 17

Although Thursday was the first full day of school for students in the Lawrence school district, there were some notable absences outside school buildings across the city.

That’s because there were still more than half a dozen vacant crossing guard positions that the City of Lawrence was working to fill.

A spokesperson with the city, Cori Wallace, confirmed to the Journal-World Thursday afternoon that as of Wednesday morning, six of those positions affecting five schools were still open. That includes two crossings near Schwegler Elementary School: Iowa Street and Clinton Parkway/23rd Street and Iowa Street and 27th Street. The vacancy list also includes crossings at 27th Street and Louisiana Street near Billy Mills Middle School; Inverness Drive and 27th Street near Sunflower Elementary School; Sixth Street and Stoneridge Drive near Langston Hughes Elementary School; and 23rd Street and Louisiana Street near Cordley Elementary School.

Wallace added that Hillcrest Elementary School doesn’t have any crossing guards at all at the moment, but two applicants are in the hiring process for the vacant positions. Multiple applicants are also in the final interviewing phase for the other six open positions, she said, meaning those vacancies could shift as early as Thursday evening.

“The past 24 hours have been a strong indicator of interest in community members stepping up in this way,” Wallace said.

As the Journal-World reported, there is also ongoing construction impacting Sunflower Elementary, Hillcrest Elementary and Southwest Middle School, all of which have at least one crossing guard position currently vacant. Wallace said traffic improvements near Hillcrest are expected to be in place by Aug. 24 to allow for “improved pedestrian and vehicle access” to the school, with additional information from the city related to that work to be provided early next week.

Wallace said the crossing guard positions have gone unfilled despite approximately four weeks of “steady focus” to promote them on various online outlets, via social media and within the community. The city is responsible for filling the positions, and the applications go through the city’s online jobs board.

According to the jobs board, the roles are part-time temporary positions paying $13.60 per hour, with the possibility of $100 bonuses for both perfect attendance and if asked to return to the position during the next school year. There’s just one posting from Friday, July 21, which notes the city is seeking multiple school crossing guards. It doesn’t indicate how many, though.

A community member who sent a tip to the Journal-World after the morning commute during the first day of school noted that Cordley’s principal was acting as the crossing guard, presumably at the 23rd Street and Louisiana Street intersection. The community member also said school board member Carole Cadue-Blackwood was at that intersection this morning helping students cross the street safely on their way to school. Wallace said the city currently partners with the school district to address a crossing if it’s unstaffed.

“One strategy includes public employees serving as temporary guards, but we value and prioritize stable support for those sites with recognizable faces who work to get children and families to and from school safely,” Wallace said.

The Journal-World also reached out to the school district Thursday afternoon for more information about its policies for school district employees staffing those sites if needed. While district spokesperson Julie Boyle didn’t mention any specifics on that front, she did tell the Journal-World that the district was able to notify families about the crossing guard vacancies in advance of the first day of school.

Boyle said the school district is encouraging people who may be interested to consider applying for a crossing guard role to help fill the current gaps. She said she learned Wednesday that a current school board member, Ronald “G.R.” Gordon-Ross, applied and plans to serve as a crossing guard if he’s hired.

Boyle said one way to mitigate the current staffing shortages could be for school families to consider walking or biking to school together if possible. Another option for families to keep in mind, she said, is that Lawrence Transit continues to operate fare-free through 2023.

“In addition to supporting children’s safety, caring adults leading a group of children in walking or biking to school together provide social support, model kindness and cooperation and increase physical activity,” Boyle said. “We are fortunate in a community like ours to see neighbors helping neighbors with carpools or walking school buses.”

Boyle also noted that the school district, city and Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health partner to offer a Safe Routes to School plan, with safety tips, brochures and maps of safe routes to each school available online at beactivesaferoutes.com.

With the school year now underway, Boyle said the district reminds drivers to slow down, watch for children and use extra caution when driving in and around school zones.