Email and Pilot Program Documents from Linda Jeaurond
Detailed historical context of the crossing guard program and a call for Council to follow the best practices of neighboring municipalities.
From: mrs linda jeaurond Sent: January 17, 2023 10:44 AM To: Mayor And Council Email mayorandcouncil@viewroyal.ca; Info Address info@viewroyal.ca; Subject: Re council meeting today/ crossing guard funding decision
Dear Mayor and Council,
as you make your final decision today on whether to end a twenty year child centred legacy, I would like to share some local background.
When my children attended View Royal Elementary school in the 1980’s, parents made cupcakes and sold wrapping paper to fund the crossing guard, as a former Brit (lollipop men everywhere) I found the seeming lack of concern from local authorities for municipal children a bit jarring. Even more so when I joined the district parent organization, Victoria Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils, VCPAC, and learned some schools couldn’t raise enough funds so their children did without.
VCPAC quickly formed an ad hoc committee and worked with the district and all five municipalities in SD61 to design a municipally funded crossing guard pilot program 1997/99 (*copied below FYI)
From media reports dated 2018, we learn that Beacon Community Services led the program for over a decade before VCPAC took over again.
Schools safety program saved by new non-profit:
“Greater Victoria schools will continue to have crossing guards thanks to the creation of a new non profit society that will take over leadership of the program that has been up in the air for months. Beacon Community Services, who led the program for over a decade, announced in February that they no longer had the capacity to run it. A new provider was announced last week in a letter sent to the municipality of Oak Bay by Beacon Community Services. The Greater Victoria Crossing Guard Association (GVCGA) has been created, and is waiting on registration to be finalized. Audrey Smith, chair of the Victoria Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils, will lead the association as president.” (https://www.vicnews.com/news/school-safety-program-saved-by-new-non-profit/ )
The VCPAC chair struggled to put the program on more a secure footing, but despite the fact that two other school districts on lower Vancouver Island receive funding from neighbouring municipalities, View Royal council decided to declare an ultimatum and call for new policies not practiced regionally:
“View Royal’s Mayor David Screech said it’s time for all parties, including the ministry of education, and school districts, to support the program. “The province, and the school boards need to realize that getting the children to school is important, and we need all parties at the table to figure out what’s going to happen come September,” Screech said. “Because as of right now, in many schools, there will not be any crossing guards”” (https://www.cheknews.ca/no-plan-for-greater-victoria-school-crossing-guard-program-in-september-1050636/ )
Sadly/predictably Audrey couldn’t make the parent led program sustainable. The following quote from her cease of program notice suggests VR’s denial of steady funding played a role: “We would like to thank those that have made an effort to streamline the process to accessing funding…”
( https://pub-victoria.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=82287 )
The city of Victoria voted in July to urge SD61 to provide the crossing guards with municipal dollars:
“I think this really is a win-win scenario,” said Mayor Lisa Helps, who put the motion forward. “This is a way to get the crossing guard program stably funded in perpetuity.” Victoria staff also looked into the city directly providing the program, but found it would be a more costly option.” (https://www.sookenewsmirror.com/news/greater-victoria-councils-push-to-fund-sd61-crossing-guards-as-absence-looms/)
It does seem like a win-win to this taxpayer- there’s no liability issues or municipal neighbours wouldn’t be doing it, nor would Victoria be perusing it.
There’s no municipal recruiting, hiring or firing, no covering sick leave or vacations. Instead politicians can feel proud they are supporting active transportation and caring for their smallest constituents as the region builds density and tax base and adds more and more traffic to our streets.
Research tells us crossing guards positively influence active transportation, something climate change requires we support and increase: Factors such as infrastructure, crossing guard/crosswalk status, geography of the surrounding area or weather can be an important catalyst or inhibitor for policy development. Addressing these proactively can benefit the initiative. https://academic.oup.com/her/article/23/6/963/552217
Please View Royal Council, heed the experts and local best practices, support safety and active transportation, be like Colwood and others and continue to fund crossing guards on busy municipal streets.
Kind regards, Linda Jeaurond 254 Ardenlea place Victoria BC V9B5P3
VCPAC pilot program: http://www.vcpac.ca/vcpac-documents/send/122-crguard/96-x-guard-pilot
VCPAC Adult School Crossing Guard Program Pilot Project (September 1997 – September 1999)
Objective
A permanent, standardized Crossing Guard Program will be in place throughout School District 61, with the five Municipalities providing full funding.
Goals
Standardization of Service: Crossing Guard Program standardized across the District with central administration, consistent training, salaries and District wide procedures.
Equity of Funding: Full costs for Program including salaries, benefits and administration covered through municipal funding, where the need for Crossing Guards can be demonstrated.
Long Term Stability: Provide long term stability by transferring the role of employer from Volunteer Parent Groups to the Greater Victoria School District or the municipalities or the CRD by the end of the Pilot.
Proposal
- A Crossing Guard Ad Hoc Committee will be established, with representatives from the School Board and VCPAC (Victoria Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils). This Committee will provide over all direction and ensure the Pilot is implemented effectively and evaluated on an on going basis. This Committee will work to ensure all the goals of the pilot are achieved.
- School District 61, through its Risk Management Program, will provide protection from legal and financial liability to members of VCPAC, Crossing Guards and individual School PAC’s (Parent Advisory Councils) participating in the Crossing Guard Program.
- A Procedures Manual will be developed to cover all policies and procedures involved at the school level such as: recruitment, hiring, training, supervision, payroll, record keeping and job descriptions.
- A professional payroll firm will be hired to provide centralized payroll and record keeping services.
- School District 61 will provide advice and information regarding issues such as liability and employment standards.
- Community and School Police Liaison Officers will ensure that Crossing Guards undergo a criminal records check before being hired. These Officers will also ensure that Crossing Guards receive on going training on the job.
- A School Based Crossing Guard Committee consisting of a parent, school administrator and police liaison officer will have the authority to supervise, recruit, hire and fire Crossing Guards.
- All Crossing Guards in School District 61, School Administrators at schools with Guards and interested parents will be invited to participate in the design, implementation and evaluation of the Pilot, under the direction of the Ad Hoc Crossing Guard Committee. The Pilot will be evaluated on an on going basis.
VCPAC Adult School Crossing Guard Program
Pilot Project (September 1997 – September 1999)
Objective
A permanent, standardized Crossing Guard Program will be in place throughout School District 61, with the five Municipalities providing full funding.
Goals
Standardization of Service: Crossing Guard Program standardized across the District with central administration, consistent training, salaries and District wide procedures.
Equity of Funding: Full costs for Program including salaries, benefits and administration covered through municipal funding, where the need for Crossing Guards can be demonstrated.
Long Term Stability: Provide long term stability by transferring the role of employer from Volunteer Parent Groups to the Greater Victoria School District or the municipalities or the CRD by the end of the Pilot.
Proposal
- A Crossing Guard Ad Hoc Committee will be established, with representatives from the School Board and VCPAC (Victoria Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils). This Committee will provide over all direction and ensure the Pilot is implemented effectively and evaluated on an on going basis. This Committee will work to ensure all the goals of the pilot are achieved.
- School District 61, through its Risk Management Program, will provide protection from legal and financial liability to members of VCPAC, Crossing Guards and individual School PAC’s (Parent Advisory Councils) participating in the Crossing Guard Program.
- A Procedures Manual will be developed to cover all policies and procedures involved at the school level such as: recruitment, hiring, training, supervision, payroll, record keeping and job descriptions.
- A professional payroll firm will be hired to provide centralized payroll and record keeping services.
- School District 61 will provide advice and information regarding issues such as liability and employment standards.
- Community and School Police Liaison Officers will ensure that Crossing Guards undergo a criminal records check before being hired. These Officers will also ensure that Crossing Guards receive on going training on the job.
- A School Based Crossing Guard Committee consisting of a parent, school administrator and police liaison officer will have the authority to supervise, recruit, hire and fire Crossing Guards.
- All Crossing Guards in School District 61, School Administrators at schools with Guards and interested parents will be invited to participate in the design, implementation and evaluation of the Pilot, under the direction of the Ad Hoc Crossing Guard Committee. The Pilot will be evaluated on an on going basis.