Local elementary school is using kids to direct traffic
 

Ok, so for the most part they are just escorting people across the intersections adjacent to the school, but they are also waving traffic through the 4-way stop. The problem is that the kids aren't tall enough to see the cross traffic and the motorists blindly follow. I cannot see the kids either so because they stand on the sidewalks behind a wall of cars.

They are not coordinated at all. I've watched these kids cause nearly three collisions in the past couple weeks because they wave cross traffic through at the same time and I've nearly been hit maybe twice. I could be in the middle of the intersection and the kid will start waving the motorists through.

The only way to go around this cluster **** brings me in front of another elementary school where the bike lane is used for 100m parking space.

:wtf:

I could possibly see using like 6th graders as crossing guards for the lower grades, but who the bleep think it is okay for them to act as traffic cops?

I direct traffic at my school after dismissal. I can't imagine letting the students take on a reponsibility such as this. The OP should report this to the principle of the school, and ask for justification of putting the students in such a dangerous situation.

That is just friggin scary .

Please call you local News place and get some pressure applied if the Principal can fix it

I'm pretty sure the principal knows they're doing this. The kids have those handheld stop/slow signs that construction crews use.

I was a crossing guard as a kid. We'd walk with the kids from one side to the other holding the stop sign up, but never directed traffic. Drivers should have the sense and responsibility to self-govern that nonsense. In a way, I like it because it's a constant reminder that it's a school full of children. They should take appropriate care.

Unfortunately, these days everyone has to drop their kid off at school and they all wait till the last second so that everyone is in a huge rush. It's a chaotic crush of cars in older, established neighborhoods where the infrastructure just wasn't designed to handle that many vehicles at one time. I'm amazed there aren't more accidents at the schools I work at. I had one incident where some kids bolted out in front of my work truck from in between cars. I was able to stop and wait for them to cross, but some impatient fool behind me tried going around, not seeing the kids due to their height.

Looks like they are trying to pick the kids off. Perhaps too many students in the school???

we can afford traffic lights in Germany

Problem: School cannot have adult volunteers as crossing guards - the insurance is too expensive because if the crossing guard makes a mistake somebody will sue.

Solution: Have students do it.

Added: First, call the prinicpal and make sure (s)he is fully aware of the situation. Then...

Call the police and let them know what the problem is. If that doesn't work, have a lawyer call the principle and have it explained that (s)he will be personally sued for any traffic accidents caused by the kids.

I'm sure the principal knows that kids have been assigned to help as crossing guards. I'd be much less sure that he/she knows they are also directing traffic - and doing so in ways that results in unsafe conflicts.

So I'd start by informing the principal of one or two incidents that you've recently observed. If the situation doesn't improve within a few days then I'd consider escalating it by informing the town council, police, and local news.

Why are they waving traffic through at all? The crossing guards at my kids' school will hold their flags up and step out into the intersection to allow the students to cross. Then they move back to their positions on the corners. They don't wave any cars through. It's up to the drivers to make sure the intersection is clear of traffic before proceeding.

I'm guessing that was the intention here as well. Probably the kids don't fully understand the implications of what they are doing and are trying to be helpful.

+1

Could be. At my kids' school one of the teachers is responsible for training, scheduling, and overseeing the crossing guards. I would think contacting the principle would get things straightened out. Some driver training via newsletter or whatever might be helpful too. The kids should be told not to wave the drivers through and the drivers need to be told not to expect them to.

To be honest, I have no idea why motorists are blindly following those kids. Maybe their minds are somewhere else...

I just looked up the info for the school and it's a religious preschool + K-5 school of some sort.

Also ready to contact my district rep. I'm thinking about going out there with a video camera which I think is legal since it's a public place. I'm sure someone would call the cops though which could be a good and bad thing.

There is a muckracker TV reporter here maybe I can get on this case.

Or you could just call the school and express your concerns. If they're a private school, the public school district won't be able to help you. However, they most likely do have a website with their contact info.

If that doesn't work, then you can go the reporter/local authorities route.

too bad everyone has to drive their kid to school nowadays, it's amazing how much the traffic decreases on days when there is no school. The traffic by the middle school down the street was so bad for 15 minutes a day that they put in a traffic light. Seems like a situation ready-made for a cop, but I guess it would have cut into doughnut time or they are driving their kids to school or something

Really????