Students cross street near school at their own risk

[Times photo: Cherie Diez] Chris Schofield, 9, sidesteps the crosswalk and darts diagonally across Seventh Avenue S through stopped traffic at the end of his school day at Campbell Park Elementary. The school has long been without a crossing guard, and concerns have surfaced in the community about the students' safety.

ST. PETERSBURG - Seletha Evans saw something in front of Campbell Park Elementary School recently that made her gasp.

Evans, whose 10-year-old son attends the school, was heading east on Seventh Avenue S during afternoon dismissal when a small boy darted into traffic. The driver ahead of her screeched to a halt, narrowly missing the child.

Concerned because there wasn't a crossing guard in sight, Evans called Campbell Park Elementary principal James Steen when she arrived home a few minutes later.

Steen told her he has been working through district channels to try to get a crossing guard for the school at 1051 Seventh Ave. S since 1995. His requests have been turned down each time because city officials, who have the last word on assigning crossing guards, have cited insufficient need.

Evans disagrees with them.

"Some of the kids get dropped off, but there are a lot in the neighborhood who walk," she said. "It's just unsafe to be trying to cross without a crossing guard."

Steen agrees with Evans. He estimates that about half of the school's 430 students are car riders or walkers. Because they live within 2 miles of the school, they are not eligible for a bus ride.

"If you come out here at the end of the day, we have a huge number of parents who pick up their children. Our entire property is backed up," he said. "That's a lot of traffic going in and out of here."

For years, Campbell Park staff members walked children across Seventh Avenue. Steen discontinued the practice in August because district officials warned him they could face liability if there was an accident. Since then, he has increased his efforts to get a crossing guard.

On Aug. 30, he filed a "travel to school safety concern form" with the district's real property facilities office. A representative contacted him on Tuesday and told him an observation was being scheduled for Friday.

"We are very concerned about the students' safety, and we work hard to make the crossings as safe as possible," said real property management director James Miller, whose office reviews the forms. "We devote an awfully lot of time at the various locations and attempt to find solutions to whatever their problems are."

But ultimately, Miller said, the municipality in which the school is located has the final say on how problems are resolved, including whether a crossing guard will be assigned. In the case of Campbell Park, city of St. Petersburg transportation officials have found little cause for concern each time they have come out to monitor traffic flow.

Their opinion did not change after Friday's visit.

City representatives, working with the school district's real properties facilities specialist, counted only 15 to 20 children crossing Seventh Avenue, Miller said.

Mike Connors, director of engineering, stormwater and traffic operations for the city, said that while some schools may have more than one crossing guard, three or four schools have none.

"We look at Campbell Park as a neighborhood school," he said. "There are no major roads to cross."

The latest traffic flow figures show that the average daily traffic volume for Seventh Avenue is 1,800 vehicles per day, he said. In comparison, down the road at 16th Street S, where a crossing guard is assigned to help John Hopkins Middle School students cross, there is an average daily traffic volume of 10,800 vehicles per day.

"In all cases where a school resides along a major arterial road, a school guard will be assigned to help kids cross safely," Connors said. "But all governments have limited resources. We have to apply those resources to the schools that need them the most."

The city did agree to "enhance" its efforts at Campbell Park after Friday's visit.

"They got us some cones," Steen said. "We'll put them out in the mornings and in the afternoons at dismissal time. Maybe they will deter and slow down the traffic a little."

City workers also painted "high emphasis" crosswalks across Seventh Avenue at 10th Street and between 11th and 12th streets.

Steen welcomes the new crosswalks and plans to follow the city's suggestion to make sure the students know they have been installed. But he's not certain the children will use them.

"Children don't necessarily cross at the crosswalks," he said. "They will take the shortest route to get where they want to go unless they're supervised."

He is grateful for the help city officials have provided, but still thinks the school needs a crossing guard.

"I do appreciate their support," Steen said. "I hope we don't find out too late that it wasn't enough."

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