CINCINNATI — Months after reporting fewer than 100 crossing guards on staff, Cincinnati Public Schools told us the district has the numbers to monitor all necessary areas.
In a 2024 board meeting, CPS Chief Operating Officer Chris Burkhardt reported that only 99 of the district's positions had been filled.
That news came just after the City of Cincinnati halted the hiring process for crossing guards last summer, and CPS and the Board of Education took over the responsibility.
We mapped the places without crossing guards in 2024 and found that a number of the spots were in Cincinnati's west side.
After months of work, staffing levels are approaching a full house. The district reports 138 full-time crossing guards have been vetted, hired and trained, along with 22 temporary crossing guards.
Eve Bolton, CPS's vice president of the Board of Education, attributed part of the success in staffing to recruiting people from their neighborhoods.
"I think we have a higher level, if you will, of recruiting from within the community, meaning the school community and where they are serving," Bolton said.
Bolton also said that Superintendent Shauna Murphy and the district brought on a full-time administrator to lead the crossing guard program.
Bolton also commended the bravery of the men and women who've signed up to join the team of crossing guards, making sure children are getting to and from school safely.
"They are heroic, because there's very few people that would do what they're are willing to do," she said.
Bolton is speaking about people like Elizabeth Taylor, a retiree who lives in Mt. Washington not too far from Sands Montessori.
"The kids are great, I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend my retirement," Taylor said.
Learn more about Elizabeth Taylor's work as a CPS crossing guard here:
Taylor reached out to WCPO 9 last year, saying she tried to apply to be a crossing guard. Eventually, WCPO connected her with the district, and she was hired.
"I feel so fulfilled," Taylor said.
Taylor urged anyone interested to apply, citing the important work she and others do to protect kids and their families crossing the street.
"It's a good thing, they really need somebody here, me or somebody," she said.
Any interested applicants can find more information here.
A CPS spokesperson told WCPO that he credits the work and reporting from WCPO 9 as one of the reasons the district received so much interest in these positions.
