Be careful out there

This morning my kids could see their breath as they walked to school. This year they were supposed to be walking alone, as they mastered the route over the summer and were feeling confident. But disconcerting news altered my plan, and once again I ended up having to take them.

What changed?

The Fairmont Police Department hasn't placed the crossing guards for the year yet, and according to Chief Brolsma, even when they do the private school crossings aren't included in the map.

I guess I was naive to think that just because Budd School isn't hosting students this year that the Day and Prairie crossing guard would stay put. The public elementary school isn't that far from that corner, and Prairie is a death trap when high schoolers are late to school. I watched a student nearly get hit by a car last year at the crossing.

Every year my kids have gone to private school — and that would be six years this year — the crossing guards have been out for the start of parochial schools. But not this year. And the police didn't even let the schools know. The principal at my kids' school found out because the old crossing guard came in to tell her he wouldn't be able to help the kids cross this year.

Brolsma said if we want crossing guards at more streets we need to be willing to pay more taxes. I say I pay the same taxes as the public school parents, and my kids deserve protection just like theirs do. I get changing the routes, but not covering the private schools, who start almost two weeks before public elementary seems unfair.

And before you guys get up in my grill, I get that there isn't enough money, but I don't get why my kids aren't important enough to protect at a very busy and dangerous intersection just because they go to school a block from the elementary school.