It may come as a surprise to some residents if they are stopped by one of the 20 fifth-grade crossing guards at Curie Elementary School. But these youngsters, who have been handpicked by school staff to guide people safely through crosswalks, have gone through the same rigorous training as their adult counterparts.
As a testament to these pupils’ skills, the school was one of eight finalists considered for the 2006 Outstanding School Safety Patrol Program award, according to San Diego police officer Rick Kirchhoff, the department’s program coordinator.
“It teaches them responsibility, teamwork and the value of safety for not only themselves but for their peers, teachers and all of the parents that come to and from school,” he said of the program, which he has been overseeing for the last four years. “It gives them that sense of leadership, and for a lot of these kids, it’s a huge sense of pride knowing that what they are doing is actually meaningful and making a difference for people.”
Administered by officers at eight divisions of the San Diego Police Department, the School Safety Patrol Program began in 1935 at Washington Elementary School as a way to teach responsibility and reduce accidents among elementary school pupils. At the time, one officer supervised 12 pupils, according to Kirchhoff.
This year, the program has recruited close to 2,000 fifth-graders ” almost matching the number of officers at the SDPD ” from schools spanning as far north as Rancho Bernardo and south as San Ysidro.
Students participating in the program must be at least 10 years of age under the vehicle code of California and are nominated by their fourth-grade teachers, according to Kirchhoff.
A training process for the program includes shadowing peer crossing guards, watching instructional videos and one-on-one training with an officer in the street. Generally, the students are in charge of crosswalks within sight of each school, Kirchhoff said.
Although they are young, the pupils do gain the respect of local motorists and pedestrians, the program coordinator said.
“Ninety percent of traffic that rolls through their crosswalks are parents taking their children to school,” Kirchhoff said. “Although they are only 10 and 11 years old, most people really do appreciate what they are doing, and for the most part they do create a nice, safe barrier.”
As a parent volunteer and co-coordinator for the program at Curie Elementary, Barbara Agnew has witnessed firsthand just how dedicated the students are in their roles as safety patrol members.
Agnew, whose child is a fifth-grader at the school, is one of 10 parents who supervise student crossing guards during their morning and afternoon shifts. She holds a student crossing guard meeting once each month to check for proper patrol attire and to give merits to those who have shown outstanding performance.
“The students really look forward to it,” Agnew said. “They have to come to school early and stay late in the afternoon “” it’s a big commitment.”
Curie Elementary recently made it mandatory that a parent volunteer be present at each of the student’s crossing shifts. Kirchhoff agreed with that rule.
“The program is pretty unique at Curie, in that they have a very large support group of parents who go out there and act as extra eyes,” he said. “The kids still do all the work, but the parents are there to watch out for them, and that’s important.”
For Agnew, it’s a precautionary step because “you just never know,” she said.
One thing the school does know is that the program is in place and will continue for years to come. Curie Elementary’s safety patrol is the most responsible group of students that Principal Chris Juarez has ever seen, he said.
“I can’t imagine not having them,” Juarez said. “They know exactly what their role is. They operate as a group and work well as a group, and that’s why we are so lucky.”