GREEN BAY, Wis. (NBC 26) — Kids in Green Bay head back to school in two days, but there is something students and parents should pay attention to — a shortage of crossing guards.
"I just tell her that she needs to pay attention," Green Bay resident Glenda January said.
January and her daughter live near Fort Howard Elementary in Green Bay, an area with several crosswalks.
January says her daughter usually walks to school with friends.
"So, that makes me feel a little bit better if there isn't a crossing guard there," January said. "That they're together, and you know, kind of watching out for one another."
The city is still in need of some traffic cops.
"The kids, they need to be supervised," January said.
Commander Kevin Warych with the Green Bay Police Department says the city has 30 crossing guards and that the city has three positions yet to fill.
"But we need relief guards," Warych said. "People take off. People get sick. People have commitments."
But Warych assures people the city is prepared.
"Intersections will always be staffed," Warych said.
Warych says a company called Cross Safe oversees staffing.
Cross Safe works together with Green Bay police to ensure nearby school crosswalks have its traffic enforcers.
Warych says police officers or community service officers (CSOs) will take over if needed.
"We've got contingency plans so that these intersections do not go unmanned," Warych said.
Green Bay crossing guards are paid $15 an hour, but Warych says the job is about more than just the pay.
"The best reward that people get for this job is to put a smile on a kid's face," Warych said.
And most importantly, getting the kids to school safely.
Cross Safe supervisor Steven Sannes tells NBC 26 that crossing guards will direct traffic at 19 elementary schools in Green Bay. The crossing guards get to work on the first day of school on Sept. 1.
More information on requirements to be a crossing guard in Green Bay can be found here.
