Families and traffic safety advocates are praising the Clark County Commission’s unanimous recent decision to provide crossing guards near CCSD middle schools in the county’s unincorporated areas.
Why it matters: Local governments pay for crossing guards in their jurisdictions at intersections near CCSD elementary schools, but this is the first time an entity has extended coverage to middle schools. The county is spending about $1.8 million annually to do so.
By the numbers: So far this academic year, 28 children have been hit by vehicles near middle schools in unincorporated Clark County.
Commissioner Michael Naft, who introduced the measure, said adding crossing guards “is the essential thing to do to protect our kids and keep them safe.”
Families, including those who have lost loved ones struck by vehicles in crosswalks, testified in support of this decision.
- Suzan Smith, a first-year teacher at Wilbur and Theresa Faiss Middle School, fought back tears during testimony as she urged commissioners to add crossing guards. Her 12-year-old son Jonny was killed in 2019 while walking home from the middle school where she now teaches.
- “We miss him every day, and his family feels the pain of an empty chair,” Smith said. “If there had been a crossing guard, it is conceivable that he still would be alive today.”
Commissioner Justin Jones, who has been active on this issue and has a son attending middle school, noted this was an “opportunity to honor Jonny’s legacy” and help prevent future tragedies.
Erin Breen, director of the Road Equity Alliance Project in the Transportation Research Center at UNLV, hopes Clark County’s decision, which she described as monumental, will result in other entities providing middle school crossing guards.
Crossing Guards are still needed. Call ACMS Las Vegas at 702-675-3135 or visit acmssafety.com/careers/ to learn more about joining the team.
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