Two schools in Buffalo Grove are to receive crossing guards to ensure students’ and parents’ safety when walking to and from school.
Following complaints of safety concerns about children having to cross a bustling intersection near two Buffalo Grove elementary schools without a crossing guard, police officers have been temporarily put in place as the school district steps up its hiring for permanent ones.
Both Longfellow Elementary School on Bernard/Nichols Avenue and Cooper Middle School on Plum Grove Road in Buffalo Grove, are located near Arlington Heights Road, a roadway with very heavy traffic. The schools are two of 12 in Wheeling School District 21.
“We are diligently working to get these crossing guards in place, knowing that hiring, background checks and training will take time,” SD21 Superintendent Michael Connolly said in a statement.
While Cooper did not previously have a crossing guard, Longfellow did, officials explained. SD21 officials told Pioneer Press the district is in the process of accepting applications to hire street-crossing aides. Other schools currently have crossing guards, including Holmes Middle School, and Field, Tarkington, Twain and Whitman elementary schools.
Connolly said the district provides bus services, but many students and parents prefer to walk to school.
Since the announcement, the Village of Buffalo Grove has made available an application for the crossing guard position on their official website, and the latest round of applications closed Sept. 16. Two positions were available.
According to SD21 spokeswoman Cassandra Young, a petition from a concerned anonymous parent was the “catalyst” for the decision to hire crossing guards.
Young said as of earlier this month, police officers were fulfilling the crossing guard duty at each respective location and “will be doing so until the positions are filled.”
Police Deputy Chief Michael Szos previously told Pioneer Press that several candidates were lined up for the position and that the interviewing process was underway.
Joseph Arnone is a freelancer.
