Albion school district seeks solution for crossing guard after position cut by village

Press Release, Albion Central School

ALBION – With the 2024-25 school year quickly approaching, the Albion Central School District continues to be deeply concerned regarding the Village of Albion’s decision to eliminate its crossing guard.

The village budget was passed on Thursday, April 25, and the district was notified of the change in early June, not by Village of Albion trustees, but by the Albion Police Department. According to Mickey Edwards, Superintendent of ACS, it was Lt. Brandon Annable, the position’s previous supervisor, who called to notify the district of the change.

As they were notified in June, and Albion school district had already passed its budget that May, the District and its Board of Education were shocked.

“No one wants to see any of our students injured while crossing the road,” said ACS Board of Education President Wayne Wadhams.

“The safety of our students has to come first,” ACS Board of Education Vice President Linda Weller said. “All students get bussed, except those closest to the school and those are village students who need a crossing guard.”

As soon as they were made aware the village had not included a crossing guard in its annual budget, Edwards said the district looked into hiring for the position directly.

“We have always prioritized the safety and security of our students,” Edwards stated. “Putting students at risk is never an option.”

“I understand that money is tight but I don’t think that our children’s safety is a place to cut funding,” BOE member Kurt Schmitt said. “These are village children that are walking home and we need to keep them safe. If the school was legally allowed to hire the crossing guard, we would.”

It was during this time Bond, Schoeneck & King, the District’s law firm, advised that, due to section 208-A of the NYS General Municipal Law (click here), the school district is not legally allowed to directly employ the primary crossing guard.

Bond, Schoeneck & King also advised the district that the only time in which it is allowed to enter an agreement with a village or police department, with the purpose of directly hiring a crossing guard, is to increase the number of school crossing guards already employed by the respective village or police department.

Consequently, for this to be possible, the village or police department would already need to have a crossing guard on their payroll.

For at least the last decade, the Village of Albion has employed the crossing guard that has been supervised by Albion PD. In the absence of an employed guard, Albion Police Chief David Mogle has said that his officers will help to provide coverage.

“We are going to do the best we can,” Chief Mogle said. “We will do what we have to do to protect the kids.”

The Albion PD has two officers on duty at a time, meeting the department’s minimum staffing requirement, to help ensure the officers’ safety when attending calls. According to Chief Mogle, while the department tends to be busier in the afternoon there is still the potential for the officer filling in as the crossing guard to be called away, no matter the time of day.

“We hope that the school and the village are able to hash it out and find a dedicated guard to fill the position,” Chief Mogle said.

This is not the first time the Albion BOE has discussed this issue, according to Weller.

“The first time was in 2017 when the village first tried to get rid of the crossing guard and the district tried to work with the village to find a solution,” Weller explained. “As a Board, we thought this matter had been solved as it has been a village budgeted item since before I was on the board. This isn’t a new law, why they (the village trustees) chose to cut it out of the budget this year, only the village can answer that.”

“This is the second time, since I’ve been on the school board, that this issue has come up,” Wadhams added. “We need to find a long-lasting solution to prevent this from becoming an annual problem.”

ACS’s School Resource Officer Deputy Matthew Prawel agreed and emphasized that drop-off and pick-up times are an especially important part of his day.

“It should come as no surprise that our students’ most vulnerable moments are when they are outside our buildings during arrival and dismissal times,” Prawel said. “My presence is most needed when students are getting on and off buses to ensure the safety of our students as they enter and leave our buildings.”

His job isn’t over once students have boarded or unloaded from the buses, he is also in charge of ensuring transportation on and off campus runs smoothly.

“My focus is on making sure our students, staff and visitors are all safe while they are at Albion Central Schools,” Prawel said. “I strap on the yellow traffic vest twice a day for both our Middle School and High School dismissal times. For me to cover the crosswalk, in addition to the district’s driveways, would not be possible and leave people at risk.”

Morning arrival isn’t any easier, according to the District’s SRO.

“Drop-off time is especially difficult as the avenue is used heavily for people commuting to work at that time,” Prawel said.

“Whether the school was on the avenue or not, that would be a high-risk area for someone crossing Route 31 in the mornings.”

The school district and Prawel emphasize the importance of the work and dedication of the Albion Police Department and its ongoing assistance in keeping our school and village community safe.

“We are incredibly grateful to Chief Mogle and the rest of the Albion Police Department, for continuing to be great partners in prioritizing the safety of our students, staff, and greater Albion community,” Edwards said.

“I couldn’t do it without their support,” Prawel agreed. “The Albion Police Department is integral in ensuring our school and village community remain safe.”