LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Scottie Collier is the principal at St. Matthews Elementary School and he sees a lot of students walk to school.
“We have a lot of walkers here at our school and so our crossing guards are an integral part of getting students from their house onto our campus safe,” Collier said.
He’s been principal at the elementary school for 10 years and says he’s grateful for the help from crossing guards.
“They play a very important role. For one, they’re one of our community helpers that get our kids here to school safely so they can learn, especially before and after school. It’s very important because people are busy and they’re trying to get to and from their destination and sometimes they forget about the crosswalks.”
Louisville Metro Police Department says currently it is short 36 Traffic Control Officers.
Right now there are 76 traffic control officers or school crossing guards, assigned to schools. This means some schools which could benefit from a traffic guard, don’t have access to one.
“This is a noble profession, being a crossing guard, because you are ensuring the safety of someone’s precious cargo. Their gift, coming home from an exciting day at school or being dropped off and to begin future in life,” said LMPD chief, Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel.
Being a guard isn’t easy. The job comes with safety risks.
A traffic guard was critically injured while helping elementary school students get to school safely in September.
This incident has drawn attention to the role traffic guards play in making sure students get to school safely.
The lack of guards is causing LMPD officers to patrol school zones.
The department is actively seeking people to help fill the need.
“We want great people who have the drive, the passion, the resiliency to do what’s needed to have a safe, productive day at school,” Gwinn- Villaroel said.
Having a designated officer can help educators focus on teaching students.
“Some benefits of having a crossing guard are JCPS employees here. JCPS employees having to take time out of watching kids on campus to making sure their students are crossing the city street. So it helps our people stay on campus and our other community leaders can take care of that,” Collier said.
LMPD is currently hiring traffic control officers. Minimum hourly pay starts at $15.30. Applications can be filled out online.