LITHIA, Fla. — Parents across Hillsborough County are coming together to request that school crossing guards be added at high schools. Currently, only elementary and middle schools have crossing guards, but some parents say teenagers are more likely to be walking to and from school and they’re being forced to cross some busy dangerous roads. 

Safe Bus for Us, an area nonprofit that advocates for students’ safe paths to school, is requesting the Hillsborough Sheriff’s Office audit all high school crossing areas to see where crossing guards may be needed and for Hillsborough County Commissioners to fund the crossing guard program.

“We know school buses save lives, we know the triangle of safety if we have crossing guards enforcing the crosswalks in front of schools to ensure that vehicles moving with force and speed weighing 6,000 pounds or more do not hit the pedestrian, especially child pedestrians, we know that saves lives,” said Josephine Amato with Safe Bus for Us.

Jennifer Murray’s son is a sophomore at Newsome High School in Lithia near Fish Hawk. She says crossing guards are desperately needed there. Her son Roman enjoys the walk to school, and, like most teenagers, he likes the independence. But every day, the walk worries Murray.

“There’s a lot of headphones, a lot of phones, from both adults and children,” she said. “The crosswalk isn’t being respected enough, and the lights unfortunately don’t seem to be respected enough as well.”

Which is why Murray would feel better if an adult was there every morning and afternoon to help students cross busy Fish Hawk Boulevard safely.

“I think they would pay more attention because they know there’s an adult around. There’s accountability, not just for the kids, but for the adults. I think it would bring a lot of awareness to the actual area,” she said.

Murray says her husband was hit by a car last year while on a crosswalk. He’s OK, but she knows firsthand that a crosswalk isn’t always enough to keep you safe.

“About two weeks ago, a child was hit on a bicycle and not only is it traumatizing for him, but it’s traumatizing for the kids around him,” she said. “Unfortunately, it’s going to be kind of old news in a few weeks when people forget about it, until it happens again.”

Murray is doing everything she can to prevent by pushing county leaders to look into adding crossing guards at high school’s like Newsome so kids aren’t left fending for themselves. 

Safe Bus for Us encourages parents of high school students who have to cross high-traffic areas on their way to school to reach out to their county commissioner to let them know they want the crossing guard program funded.