LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Clark County commissioners unanimously approved funding for middle school crossing guards Tuesday morning.
It's something safety advocates have been calling for.
Since the beginning of the 2023-24 school year, there were 82 reports of children being hit by a vehicle while traveling to and from Clark County School District schools.
The new measure, sponsored by Commissioner Michael Naft, will add crossing guards to 23 middle schools in Clark County, with the number of guards assigned to each school varying based on need.
The county will have 60 days to get all 84 crossing guards hired and assigned, but they got a head-start on recruitment for those positions in anticipation that the measure would pass.
The addition of 84 new crossing guards will cost the county around $1.8 Million per year, but Commissioner Michael Naft says student safety is worth it.
"We've had in our jurisdiction nearly 80 students in the school year that have been hit," said Naft.
28 out of the 80 students hit are in middle school.
At the meeting, several advocates and parents voiced their concerns as an expression of support for the funding.
Suzan Smith, a member of the advocacy group "Stop Road Crashes," shared her heartbreaking story about her son Jonny, who was fatally struck while crossing Fort Apache Road on March 26, 2019.
“Jonny had a whole life in front of him," Smith said. "I can go on and on about what a wonderful boy Jonny was, but that’s not why I’m here today. If there had been a crossing guard, it is conceivable that he would still be alive today."
Smith is one of several parents suffering through the death of a child killed on a roadway. April Stewart's daughter was hit and killed in a crosswalk when she was 16.
"I live with every day that my daughter took her last conscious breathe without someone who loves her next to her," said Stewart.
Both the CCSD and County says students getting hit and killed is unacceptable.
Most recently, 11-year-old student Rayan Kim is still in the hospital, fighting for his life after being hit and run over while riding his bike to Gunderson Middle School January 30.
Naft says the 23 middle schools have now been added to the crossing guard contract that ends in 2025. When the commisioners discuss renewing the contract, the middle schools will automatically be included.
