Students at three Lakota Local elementary schools are navigating busy roads without crossing assistance this school year after the district pulled staff from crosswalks located off school grounds. Now, parents are volunteering t o fill the gap.Rob Long, a parent of two students at Endeavor Elementary School, organized a volunteer group of eight parents to staff crosswalks after the district's decision left children crossing high-traffic roads on their own."By God's grace, I was able to take that anger and turn it into action. I really believe that we're all here to help each other and to help those who can't help themselves, and so I just couldn't stand by and watch the children have to navigate these streets alone," Long said.Parents were notified of the change two days before classes began. In a statement, the district said student safety is its top priority, but explained that staff aides cannot act as certified crossing guards or direct traffic on public roadways, a position that requires special training and authority. "Student safety is always our top priority. While Lakota staff stepped in at select locations during arrival and dismissal at three elementary schools in recent years, staff aides cannot act as certified crossing guards or direct traffic on public roadways, a position that requires special training and authority. Because of the multiple layers involved, including staffing, jurisdiction, liability, and operational considerations, this has been an ongoing discussion that began last fall. We are actively engaged with local law enforcement, township leaders, and county engineers to find sustainable, collaborative solutions for crosswalk safety."Long volunteers at Smith Road and Bar Harbor Way, about 500 feet from Endeavor Elementary, a crosswalk he describes as particularly congested during school drop-off hours.WATCH: A parent-led volunteer group is stepping up after the district removed staff from off-campus crosswalks Lakota parents step in amid district crosswalk changes"The position of the district is that these crosswalks are not on school grounds, and so for liability and staffing reasons, they are no longer going to cover them," Long said.Since stepping in, Long said he has noticed that years of adult-directed crossings left many students without basic pedestrian skills."Without that safety net, this year, what I've seen is that many kids don't know how to cross the street," Long said.Other parents at the crosswalk have also raised concerns, particularly about cyclists."Bikers, it's more dangerous because they tend to cross faster; these guys don't stop," one parent said.Long said the experience has been eye-opening, but also rewarding. He said students have grown more confident over the first weeks of school and are increasingly crossing on their own.Long said he reached out to the superintendent, the Butler County Engineer's Office, West Chester Police, the Butler County Sheriff's Office and Liberty Township after learning of the district's decision."Everyone just has one piece of the puzzle, and there's no one bringing everyone together," Long said.Long said he also discovered that Lakota has not updated its district school travel policy since 2008 and is calling on the district to take a fresh look at that policy.He pointed to a program in Kettering called Cross Safe, where school and city leaders meet monthly with police to discuss pedestrian safety strategies throughout the year, as a model Lakota could follow."They do a lot of good things. We just don't hear about it. So being transparent with parents and allowing them to be a part of the solution, I think, is just going to make our community stronger and it's going to ultimately keep our children safer," Long said.The district said it last accessed Ohio Safe Routes to School grant funding in 2010. District officials said previous leaders found the funding too limited, given the district's size, to make a meaningful financial impact, but said the district continuously evaluates all opportunities and safety measures in collaboration with community partners, including pedestrian safety education for students.Long said the urgency of the issue was brought into focus by the death of Lakota freshman Aspen Reynolds, who was struck and killed by an inattentive driver while crossing a street in a crosswalk."So it's just my hope that we can prevent something like that from ever happening again," Long said.The district said it is actively working with local law enforcement, township leaders and county engineers to find a sustainable solution. ...read more read less