Beairsto Elementary parents are hoping to make walking to school safer for their children.
Christie Tujik, Beairsto district parent advisory council (PAC) representative, and Sarah Penner, Beairsto secretary, met the Vernon School District board of education Wednesday night at Kalamalka Secondary to request a district supplied and funded crossing guard for the intersection of 27th Street and 35th Avenue.
“We have a concern for safety of our students at this crossing, Tujik said to the board and roughly 25 members of the public in attendance. “Not only has there been many close calls with vehicles almost hitting students, there have been cars coming onto the sidewalk. There has been damage done both to sign posts and fences on the corner where our children stand to cross.”
A survey conducted by the Beairsto PAC in December that queried 154 participants states that roughly 47 per cent of students walk to school, 80 per cent of parents have concerns about the intersection in question and 92 per cent believe crossing guards should be in place at the intersection. Furthermore, 84 per cent of those surveyed said they or their children have witnessed unsafe driving at the intersection.
Currently, the district supports student and parent volunteers to help provide safety initiatives. However, Tujik and Penner said that the safest option is either a private or Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) crossing guard.
“We don’t believe a volunteer system is reliable enough to work without fail,” Penner said. “Having a crossing guard would not only increase the safety of students walking to school but help alleviate traffic in the school parking lot.”
The intersection in question, Tujik said, is a major artery and four lanes wide on 27th Street.
Trustees took the information into consideration for discussion at a future meeting of the board.
Related: Beairsto parents plead for safety
Related: Letter: Safety still an issue at Beairsto
@VernonNews
parker.crook@vernonmorningstar.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.