Westfield Addresses Crossing Guard Shortage

WESTFIELD, NJ — Wednesday is the first day back at school for Westfield students, and the town released an update on the crossing guard staffing issues that the town has been facing.

The school year will start with three more crossing guard posts than it had at the end of last year, but still fewer than where it started at the beginning of 2021, according to an announcement from the town.

This means there will be a total of 35 crossing guards stationed at various intersections near the schools this year, as opposed to the 40 crossing guards that the town had last year.

At its Aug. 16 meeting the Town Council voted to renew the Town’s contract with All City Management Services (ACMS) to oversee the school crossing guard program. For many years, Westfield had managed its crossing guard program through the Westfield Police Department, but in 2019, the town made a decision to partner with ACMS, based largely on its "reputation for high quality standards and cost-effective solutions."

The town said ACMS represents "a much better use of taxpayer dollars by enabling [...] police officers to prioritize law enforcement and emergency response, rather than consistently serving as crossing guards and overseeing recruiting and retention efforts for the program."

However, the town said to enhance public safety, the post at Westfield High School at Rahway and Dorian will now be staffed by a police officer. The officer has the authority to direct traffic at this "heavily-traveled" intersection and enforce the "no left turn" from Dorian Road that was put in place in 2020 to help mitigate congestion in that area, the town said.

In addition, police officers, if not otherwise committed to calls for service, will be stationed in the areas around Westfield schools at designated drop-off and pick-up times.

This will include three full-time School Resource Officers (one each assigned to Westfield High School, Edison Intermediate School and Roosevelt Intermediate School), as well as detectives and officers assigned to the Juvenile & Community Bureau.

"As we progress through what is (hopefully) the first school year with regular in-school attendance since ACMS was hired, the Town will gather data and feedback to continue optimizing its crossing guard services, and make any adjustments necessary to best serve the community," the town stated.

As part of the contract renewal with ACMS, and in an effort to improve guard retention, crossing guards are receiving an hourly wage increase, as well as three guaranteed paid snow days for the school year. The town said this will help ACMS achieve the consistency at posts that both they and the Town of Westfield desire.

Jessica Rinaldi, a crossing guard and resident in Westfield, voiced concerns at the previous town council meeting that guards were not paid for the three snow days they were promised in the contract last year.

Read more: Crossing Guard Posts To Be Reduced In Westfield For Coming School Year

The new post locations have been determined based on evaluations conducted over the past school year to assist students at intersections with highest pedestrian volume, typically those closest to the schools, and at those located on state and county roads, which tend to have more traffic.

Although police officers will continue to cover any open post that ACMS is unable to provide coverage for, ACMS reports that recruitment for the school year is trending much more favorably than last year, according to the town.

Below are all 35 crossing guard post locations that students and parents are encouraged to familiarize themselves with:

Westfield High School

Dorian Rd. / Park St. / Westfield Ave.
Dorian Rd. / Rahway Ave.
Dorian Rd. / Trinity Pl.

Edison Intermediate School

Rahway Ave. / West Grove St.
Summit Ave. / West Grove St.
Westfield Ave. / West Grove St.

Roosevelt Intermediate School
Clark St. / Tuttle Pkwy.
Clark St. / West Dudley Ave.
East & West Dudley Ave. / Prospect St.
Kimball Ave. / Mountain Ave.
Tuttle Pkwy. / West North Ave.
Tuttle Pkwy. / West South Ave.

Franklin Elementary School

Clark St. / Stanmore Pl.
Elm St. / Sinclair Pl.
Lawrence Ave. / Sinclair Pl.
Newton Pl. / Prospect St.
Prospect St. / Stanmore Pl.

Jefferson Elementary School

Boulevard / Landsdowne Ave.
Central Avenue / Cambridge Road
Central Avenue / Sycamore Street
Landsdowne Ave. / Summit Ave.

McKinley Elementary School

First St. / Osborn Ave.
Osborn Ave. / West Broad St.

Tamaques Elementary School

Baltimore Ave. / Willow Grove Rd.
Rahway Ave. / Willow Grove Rd.

Washington Elementary School

Saint Marks Ave. / Sherman St.
Saint Marks Ave. / Wells St.

Wilson Elementary School

Baker Ave. / Kimball Ave.
Baker Ave. / Winyah Ave.
Kimball Ave. / Linden Ave.
Kimball Ave. / North Chestnut St.
Linden Ave. / Winyah Ave.

Lincoln Early Childhood Center

Everson Pl. / Westfield Ave.

Holy Trinity School

First St. / Rahway Ave.
First St. / Trinity Pl.

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