By Tom Mark

Crossing Guards Wanted At Beairsto

Mar 14, 2018 | 7:05 AM

The Parents Advisory Committee at Vernon’s Beairsto Elementary School is calling for crossing guards at 27th Street and 35th Avenue.

Christie Tujik with the PAC Safety Committee says there have been close calls over the years there.

“And we actually have photographs of a semi truck up on the sidewalk on the corner where kids would normally be standing. We have pictures of the fence being torn out. Signs being bent to 90 degrees.”

She says it’s proof the intersection just isn’t safe, and parents can only do so much.

“A lot of parents have had concerns about their children walking to school by themselves, so a lot of parents have taken the time to walk their children across the street and feel there should be some crossing guards there.”

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Christie Tujik says it’s been a problem for years.

She agrees everything shouldn’t just be the responsibility of the school district, but more needs to be done.

“And some of it does lie on the parents and it does lie on making sure children know traffic safety. But we are finding that sometimes some of the kids are too little and still don’t understand and need some guidance, so we’re asking for some crossing guards to help with that.”

The request has been made in the past, but to no avail.

Tujik says the district has offered to provide reflective vests and any tools needed to have volunteers act as crossing guards.

In some cases, student volunteers have been tried with grade seven students, but that’s really considered not to be feasible for safety.

A request was made at one point to have the speed limit on 27th near the school lowered to 30 kilometres an hour, but because it’s considered a major throughway, the speed can’t be less than 50.

The committee is inviting parents to join it at this evening’s school board meeting as it makes the pitch.

The meeting is at 7 pm in the Kalamalka Secondary School library.

by Tom Mark