Hope Valley Elementary School sits nestled in the corner of Dixon Road and University Drive — streets with three and four lanes of traffic respectively. The busyness of the intersection might have drawn less attention a month ago, but with Durham Public Schools’ recent transportation changes, parents have called the safety of the area into question.
“A crossing guard isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s a requirement,” Hope Valley parent Lindsay Marjoram told the school board at a meeting on Jan. 28.
“We’re asking that you hire a crossing guard permanently for that intersection, install extra signage, and expand care.”
Pedestrian safety near schools has become more important in light of the school system’s new “Family Responsibility Zones.” In late January, the school system implemented the zones at 21 elementary schools as a measure to combat the ongoing bus driver shortage. Under the plan, families within a one-mile radius of the elementary schools — Hope Valley among them — no longer receive bus service and must find another way to transport their children to school, such as through walking or biking.
As of this week, though, the walk zone approach has been put on pause at Hope Valley Elementary.
At a work session on Thursday, Larry Webb, DPS’ chief operating officer, said that buses are running once again near Hope Valley due to concerns from families regarding “sidewalk issues and concerns about…ongoing construction.”
Once construction is complete, bus service within a mile of the school will cease and families living near the school will once again be responsible for providing transportation, Crystal Kimpson Roberts, DPS’ director of strategic communications, said in an email.
Webb said that other than Hope Valley families, no other formal appeals have been made regarding the new walk zones.
Board members also discussed the need for better coordination with the city about hiring crossing guards near schools, ahead of a joint meeting with the Board of County Commissioners and the City Council on Feb. 11.
“I just feel like this is a place where we need more collaboration, especially as our city continues to grow so much,” board member Bettina Umstead said.
Crossing guards in Durham are hired and trained by Durham Police Department, meaning that DPS is not directly in charge of crossing guard recruitment or placement. The city is currently looking to fill one vacancy out of the total 15 crossing guards at 13 DPS schools, according to lead school planner for the district, Kristen Brookshire.
Lily Kempczinski
