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First Sgt. Brian Jacobs of the Stafford Sheriff's Office monitors traffic at Mountain View High School on the first day of school last week.
A VDOT sign reminds drivers school is back in session recently. |
BY JONAS BEALS
First Sgt. Brian Jacobs stepped out into Mountain View Road and waved his arms up and down in front of a black Honda Civic. Jacobs was in front of Margaret Brent Elementary School.
"Slow down!" he shouted. "This is a school zone!"
The message was clear: Summer break is over for school kids and drivers alike.
Stafford County law enforcement worked their annual "School's Open" campaign last week. It was a reminder that drivers need to slow for school zones, stop for buses, wear seat belts, stay off cell phones and be alert for young drivers.
The program started in 1992 as a preventative measure and educational opportunity.
Sheriff's deputies are assigned to each county school, where they monitor traffic speed and stand watch over the again-active intersections.
Jacobs was covering two schools at once last week--Mountain View High School is directly behind Margaret Brent Elementary. He stood at the exit and implored young drivers to wear their seat belts.
"We're trying to be preventative," said William Kennedy, Sheriff's Office public information officer. "Our goal is not to catch speeders, it is to keep the students safe, first and foremost."
Road safety has been a major concern for Stafford County officials over the past few years. Supervisor Mark Dudenhefer lost his teenage daughter to a car crash, and he has championed education efforts focused on new teen drivers.
Although there were no teen traffic fatalities in the county last year, road improvements for safety reasons are still a high priority in Stafford. Ideally, the most dangerous roads will be widened, reflectors will be installed and re-engineering will remove hazardous turns, but those things take time and money.
"What can you change right now?" Jacobs asked. "You can change driving behavior through education."
But not all students on the road after school are driving. While most are riding school buses--which drivers should always be aware of--some are on foot. A few Stafford elementary and middle schools allow children to walk to and from school.
Rodney Thompson is such a school, and Amy Lee is a crossing guard who helps keep those students safe.
During the day, she is an administrative assistant at the school. After the bell rings, she grabs a stop sign paddle, puts on a safety vest and heads down to the corner of Walpole and Bruce streets.
She steps out into the street and stops traffic whenever a student needs to cross. She makes sure to talk to each of them as they cross, asking them how class was and reminding them to do their homework.
She is one of a large number of school employees the Sheriff's Office has trained as crossing guards. They earn an extra $20 a day by working in the morning and afternoon.
"It's actually nice," Lee said. "I get to meet the kids and it gets me out of the office."
Crossing guards work throughout the school year, but the "School's Open" campaign was in effect only last week. Jacobs feels that it is an effective way to reach residents.
"It affects people who don't have children--people who don't know when school's open," he said.
"It saves lives, and it saves work in the end," Kennedy said.
Jonas Beals: 540/368-5036
Email: jbeals@freelancestar.com
