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Anne Rodriguez was called back to direct traffic at South Lakes High School.WTOP\/Mike Murillo<\/p>\n1:21Crossing guards return to Fairfax Co. high schools after crash involving student<\/p>\n
Crossing guards are returning to the 11 Fairfax County high schools that had them last school year while discussions about future crossing guard coverage continue, a police spokesperson told WTOP.<\/p>\n
The decision was made Tuesday, hours after a car struck a 16-year-old on their way to South Lakes High School in Reston, Virginia. During dismissal Tuesday, a crossing guard appeared at the school to direct traffic and help kids cross the road.<\/p>\n
The Fairfax County Police Department said officers responded to the school just before 8 a.m. due to reports of a teenager who had been hit by a car. They were treated for minor injuries at a hospital.<\/p>\n
According to police, the student was not in a crosswalk at the time. They were hit at an entrance that never had a crossing guard assigned to it.<\/p>\n
Before the final bell of the day, longtime crossing guard Anne Rodriguez got the call from her sergeant, asking her to return to her old post. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey had said that we weren\u2019t doing high school, but he said he needed me as soon as possible, and I said I\u2019d be here,\u201d Rodriguez said.<\/p>\n
She said traffic around the school can make things dangerous for students getting to and from school.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe people dropping off the kids, the new kids driving, it\u2019s a mess, and the kids trying to cross,\u201d Rodriguez said.<\/p>\n
Anne Rodriguez was called back to direct traffic at South Lakes High School.WTOP\/Mike Murillo<\/p>\n
She said even when warning lights are flashing at the crosswalk near the school, some drivers do not stop.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes when I\u2019m in the street, they still don\u2019t stop,\u201d Rodriguez said.<\/p>\n
When the decision was made to cut crossing guards at high schools last year, Rodriguez, who has helped kids get safely to school for 22 years, was worried a student could get hurt.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was my first concern, was \u2018Oh my goodness, it\u2019s just an accident ready to happen,’\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Rodriguez told WTOP she was informed South Lakes would once again be her permanent post.<\/p>\n
After the crash Tuesday, Fairfax County Public Schools issued a statement saying it was grateful the student\u2019s injuries were not serious and calling the collision \u201ca reminder of the critical importance of having crossing guards and other traffic and pedestrian safety measures at our high schools.\u201d<\/p>\n
The crash has reignited a dispute that has simmered since the Board of Supervisors approved a budget that eliminated crossing guards at Fairfax County high schools.<\/p>\n
The school system said it has asked Fairfax County to restore funding for crossing guards at high schools with the greatest safety concerns, including South Lakes.<\/p>\n
Hunter Mill District School Board member Melanie Meren, who has been a vocal critic of the cuts, said she has spent every day of the school year observing traffic conditions around South Lakes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe knew this was going to be dangerous. Anyone who\u2019s been here knows,\u201d Meren said.<\/p>\n
Meren, who witnessed the aftermath of the crash, acknowledged it did not happen where a crossing guard had previously been stationed. but argued crossing guards influence traffic conditions beyond a single crossing.<\/p>\n
Rodriguez expressed a similar view.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt does help because when I stop the traffic. When I stop the traffic, it slows them down. They\u2019ve got to get their speed back up before they get down there,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn also called for crossing guards to be restored.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile this is not the intersection where a school crossing guard was previously posted, this incident highlights that our school safety programs should not be the target of discretionary cuts,\u201d Alcorn said in a statement.<\/p>\n
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WTOP reached out to Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay\u2019s office for comment but has not yet heard back.<\/p>\n
While the crash remains under investigation, police said the driver who stayed on the scene was cited for failing to stop before entering a highway.<\/p>\n
A proposal to review school crossings and consider restoring funding for crossing guards at high-risk locations is expected to be discussed at the next Board of Supervisors meeting Sept. 15.<\/p>\n