CINCINNATI — Around 40% of crosswalks outside Cincinnati Public Schools have no crossing guards, the district said at an October board meeting.
CPS Chief Operating Officer Chris Burkhardt said of the 168 crossing guard positions within the district, only 99 have been filled. There are no guards at over 60 crosswalks. This comes after the City of Cincinnati stopped the hiring process for crossing guards this summer, prompting the board to take over hiring on Nov. 1.
"Assumed for a number of years, we've been paying for them, and matter of fact, the first day that interim superintendent became the interim superintendent, the police chief of Cincinnati sent a letter saying, 'You're now responsible for the crossing guards, both their training and their recruiting,'" said CPS Board President Eve Bolton.
WCPO mapped the crosswalks and found that most of the areas without crossing guards are on the west side of Cincinnati, including schools in Cheviot, West Price Hill, East Price Hill, Westwood and Western Hills.
"When the city did all the recruiting, we had spots that were missing, but now it sounds like they're closing in on all of them, so I'm excited about that," Bolton said.
Board members said they are still working to meet with the city on this issue. WCPO reached out to the Cincinnati Police Department for comment but has not heard back at this time.
"We do have, I believe, 16, or 17 applications, so we hope that that's about a three-week process," said Burkhardt.
