
Guards may be stationed only when it is necessary to control or direct vehicular or pedestrian traffic during those time periods of a school day when it is necessary to control traffic.” (N.J.S.A. 40A:9-154.4).
Implicit in the above is that guards may control traffic. And of course they could not do their job otherwise. They direct traffic in order to ensure the safety of children. they should not be concerned about traffic backups per se that don’t impair child safety. Any moron who is selfish enough to value the precious few minutes that it costs to obey the traffic management of a guard over the overall safety of school children should not drive on children’s routes to school
tell the police dep’t to do it,
9:06 Then you will be complaining that the guards are causing a traffic jam and you were late to the gym.
Be carful what you wish for. 30 crossing guards directing traffic should be some show.
Crossing guards control traffic by holding up a STOP sign. That is far different than directing traffic.
Holding up a stop sign IS directing traffic. The issue is, is that stop sign legally enforceable?
They can hold up the stop sign, even when there are no pedestrians, to allow backed up traffic adjacent to a school to become “unblocked”. The new guard at Fairfield and East Glen near Travell School is attuned to the need for this intervention from time to time and does it very well. Should she refrain from doing it out of some strained interpretation of law, or to avoid receiving grief from grumpy motorists who are not involved with picking up or dropping off children at a village school?
PRIMARY CROSSING GUARD RESPONSIBILITIES
The prime duty of school crossing guards is to assist children in
crossing the street at assigned times and locations. The first concern of
crossing guards is the safety of the students.
• Crossing Guards should provide safe crossings of the roadways.
• Crossing guards should model appropriate street skills and
behavior for child pedestrians.
The duties of crossing guards in New Jersey are limited by the
following:
• Crossing guards shall not have the right to bear firearms or the
power of arrest unless the crossing guard is also a member of
the police department or force (N.J.S.A. 40A:9-154.1).
• Crossing guards shall not direct traffic, but rather, they shall
choose opportune times to create sufficient gaps in the traffic
flow. At these times, they shall stand in the roadway to indicate
that pedestrians are about to use or are using the crosswalk,
and that all vehicular traffic must stop (FHWA MUTCD 7D.05).