Crossing guards serve on the front lines of school travel safety, yet their voices are often left out of decision-making and training development. This report shares insights from focus groups held in urban communities across New Jersey, where crossing guards described serious on-the-job challenges, from drivers ignoring their presence and blocking crosswalks to rising verbal abuse and red-light running. Many noted that even parents and teachers contribute to unsafe behavior during school drop-offs and pick-ups.
The report also highlights concerns specific to dense, high-traffic areas, such as signal timing issues and the difficulty of identifying safe crossing gaps. It calls for updated training materials that better reflect real-world conditions, public education campaigns to encourage safer and more respectful behavior near school zones, and greater opportunities for crossing guards to engage directly with families and communities.
Read the full report: Voices from the Crosswalk: Insights from Focus Groups with School Crossing Guards
