Parents express concern over no crossing guard,In Your Corner gets results

Yahoo

02-04-2025

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — An Oklahoma mother took the initiative after a local elementary school had been without a crossing guard for months at a busy four-way street.
News 4's In Your Corner team got results for Elijah Zarnay in just a matter of hours.
Zarnay contacted News 4, worried about the safety of students who walk to and from her child's school.
She said the crossing guard is no longer there, and kids were walking across a very busy street alone.
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Before reaching out to News 4, she had been taking matters into her own hands to help.
'I don't have a safety vest, all I have is a metal scooter to hold and some green hair,' said Zarnay. 'That usually gets the attention, and they stop for me, but they are not stopping for these families.'
The crosswalk at SW 63rd Street and May Avenue in Oklahoma City is used by many students and families going to and from Hillcrest Elementary School.
Zarnay said there used to be a crossing guard there to help.
'People saw the safety vests and the stop sign, and they knew it was time to slow down,' Zarnay said.
All of that changed months ago.
'I haven't seen her since January, and she has not been replaced,' said Zarnay.
Seeing this worried Zarnay, so she took matters into her own hands, becoming a crossing guard of sorts.
'I see 5-6 year-old's crossing, sometimes middle schoolers walking their smaller siblings to school,' Zarnay said. 'I was having a girl cross the other day, and there was a car on this first lane that did not see us, did not stop. She came within an inch of being hit by this car.'
Zarnay said she wasn't getting anywhere after reaching out to the school and police, so she contacted News 4.
'I called the school the next day, I spoke with the principal,' Zarnay said. I spoke with the Department of Transportation. I called the police. I called the motorcycle police. They said someone will call me, but no one ever calls.'
We began reaching out Tuesday afternoon, and when it came time for school to let out a few hours later, there was a crossing guard ready to help.
'First time I've seen one since January, I am thrilled,' Zarnay said.
It turns out, it's a joint effort between Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS) and police to provide a crossing guard.
The police department and the school district work together jointly to provide crossing guards. The police department does the hiring process and pays for half of the salary of the crossing guards, while the district pays for the other half. We are always looking to hire more crossing guards, but the numbers are low right now.
OKCPD
OKCPS tells News 4 that they notify police when they need a crossing guard, but are aware of the shortage.
We were not told if Hillcrest ever requested another crossing guard.
After seeing one there on Tuesday, Zarnay and many other parents called it a relief and said it is all thanks to News 4.
'I contacted just about everyone, and no one got back to me except for you guys,' Zarnay said. 'I'm very thankful to Oklahoma News 4 for that. I don't think anything would have gotten done if you guys hadn't come here today.'
Anyone who has extra time on their hands, OKCPS and OKCPD ask that you apply to become a crossing guard to help address the shortage.
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