Glacier Valley still needs crossing guards
People around Glacier Valley Elementary School say slowing down the traffic on Mendenhall Loop Road is just one step toward making it safer for kids to walk to school.
Principal Ted Wilson said seven parents have signed up as crossing assistants - volunteers who help students cross with the light at Stephen Richards Memorial Drive. He said he hopes to have 15 more volunteers after the next training session.
Wilson said parents are happy to see the new school zone, which was in place Wednesday. Residents were impressed with how quickly the state Department of Transportation responded to the request for a school zone marked by flashing lights on the Loop Road, which is one block from the school.
Hundreds of residents signed petitions urging the agency to set up the school zone after 10-year-old Skyler Lee Kim was struck by a truck and killed on Oct. 20 while crossing on his bike to get to the school. Police said the driver was not at fault.
Chris Morrow, Southeast maintenance and operations director for DOT, said the flashing lights slow traffic to 20 mph at times that students would be going to or from school. Typically that runs from 7:30 to 8:15 a.m., 12:45 to 1:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 3 p.m.
Parent Denise Guizio said she was happy to see the lights flashing and has noticed traffic slowing. As one of the crossing assistants, she added that the school still needs parents to help children get across the intersection.
Guizio said she appreciates the time Morrow put into making the Stephen Richards intersection safer for kids to cross. But parents still have to do their part.
"I work full-time for the city and borough of Juneau," she said, adding she takes time off from work to help children cross the street. Her two oldest children attend Glacier Valley, but they ride the bus. She said she still thinks the intersection is important to volunteer for.
If the school had 20 parents volunteering, each would need to be at the intersection only one school day a month, she added. "All we're asking is one morning and afternoon a month," she said. There weren't many children last week when she was out, but the ones who crossed with her were cooperative, she said.
Wilson said students are treating Mendenhall Loop Road crossings more carefully. Some still need to learn to treat side streets like Stephen Richards with the same respect, he said.
Prospective volunteers may call the school at 463-1801 or e-mail the principal at wilsont@jsd.k12.ak.us. The next training session is Jan. 15 at 6:30 p.m.