WILKINSBURG, Pa. — A group of volunteers is stepping up to help kids get home safely as parents in Wilkinsburg call for the hiring of a new crossing guard for elementary school students.
Parents have reached out to Channel 11 about what they say is a dangerous intersection. It is where elementary school students, as young as the kindergarten level, have to cross. There has not been a crossing guard there for months.
While families wait for the district to respond, community members have stepped up to make sure students get home safely.
Wilkinsburg elementary students no longer have a crossing guard at the corner of Montier and Laketon Road. It is a four-way intersection that is considered one of the busiest in the community.
Paul Johnson and Tom Covington have been at the intersection almost every day since the crossing guard stopped working for unknown reasons.
“It’s all about keeping the kids safe. These are our children,” said Covington.
Tatiana Moore said she worries for her daughter’s safety, as well as for the other kids walking home from Turner Elementary or to the convenience store on the corner. She said she has called the school multiple times and has not received a response.
“It’s disheartening. It seems like they do not care. I would hope they would. It’s about the kids,” Moore said.
The Mad Dads, like Covington and Johnson, are a group of volunteers that work to protect the communities in the Pittsburgh area from drugs, crimes and violence. They have an overall mission to keep kids safe.
“We are fathers. We have kids, of course, our kids are grown now, caring parents that is what Mad Dads are all about. We are here to make sure our kids get on the bus safe, cross the street safe and get home safe,” Johnson said.
Parents like Moore appreciate the help but are calling on the school district to take action.
“I appreciate the organization, Mad Dads, for stepping in and helping the kids cross, but I’m hoping the school district will take some effort to get a crossing guard out here,” said Moore.
Channel 11 has reached out to the Wilkinsburg School District. The superintendent provided the following statement:
This has only been an issue going back to December 12th. The district has worked with MAD Dads, a district security guard, and a district attendance coordinator to have a crossing guard at Montier and Laketon as much as possible in the interim. The district is committed to working with the borough to fill this position full-time, along with another vacancy. District administration has not received any complaints from parents about this issue.
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