Parents seek more crossing guards at Kitty Hawk Middle as traffic worries grow

SAN ANTONIO – Tx — Parents of students at Kitty Hawk Middle School say they want more crossing guards after too many close calls.

They say traffic is horrible during pickup times and are worried things are going to get worse.

“People roll through the stop signs,” Leah Rand said. “They don’t come to complete stops. The kids can’t see around the vehicles to know if they are able to cross. The school says they can’t come down here and man the crosswalk. I’m concerned.”

The speed limit on Old Cimmaron Trail and Granite Mist by the middle school drops from 30 mph to 20 mph before and after school, but parents say some drivers aren’t slowing down.

Leah Rand, whose granddaughter attends the school, says she’s also seen drivers blocking the crosswalk and texting on their phones while driving. Another parent says he’s had to take safety into his own hands.

“There have been times when I’ve been standing here and I’ve had to physically go out into the road and make cars stop because they were going to go while kids were crossing.”

Fed up with the close calls, the parent says he approached a Judson ISD officer with his concerns.

“There were cars blocking the crosswalk. A Judson ISD officer was driving by. We flagged him down and asked if he could do something about it. He said he couldn’t do anything about it because they stopped short. I asked him if a child’s life is important. He said yes, but he couldn’t do anything about it.”

We reached out to Judson ISD inquiring if a crossing guard can be placed at the corner of Old Cimmaron Trail and Granite Mist. They told us the Judson ISD Police Department has been monitoring the crosswalk to determine whether any safety measures or improvements are needed.

Judson ISD then sent an email to the parents who raised concerns about the traffic saying they deployed a drone to observe traffic patterns to map out possible improvements.

The Universal Police Department also observed the crosswalk and said they agree there are traffic concerns and are working to find a solution.

But there is still no word on whether or not a crossing guard will be provided.