MassDOT Launches New Training Materials for School Crossing Guards
MassDOT, through the Safe Routes to School Program, launched new materials to support the training of crossing guards, including a training video, the Safe Routes to School Crossing Guard Resource Guide, and a supporting PowerPoint presentation which will help ensure that key safety and traffic information for crossing guards is communicated in a more consistent approach.
“The MassDOT Highway Division is pleased to participate in this important school safety initiative,” said Highway Division Administrator Jonathan Gulliver. “We hope that this new written and visual information will provide crossing guards with essential cross-walk safety and traffic information so that they can continue to keep the members of school communities and themselves safe on a daily basis.”
The fifteen-minute video prepares crossing guards by instructing them on essential information about crosswalk traffic rules, the standards and specifications for crossing guard responsibilities, and equipment which may be used as directed by the Federal Highway Administration’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. The video also advises trainees on how to prepare for their shifts by checking the surrounding area for potential hazards and looking for potential conflicts such as the unpredictability of child pedestrians and the dangers posed by unsafe and distracted drivers. Trainees are also encouraged to report issues at their crossing locations, such as inoperable lights or illegally parked cars blocking crosswalks, to provide safe environments for crossing school children.
While the materials are currently only available in English, the Safe Routes to School Program is working on a Spanish translation that is scheduled to be released in the fall.
The video, resource guide, and PowerPoint can be found online.
The Massachusetts Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Program, sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and with funds from the Federal Highway Administration, promotes safer routes for students to get to school by fostering partnerships between advocacy groups, law enforcement, education leaders, and public health departments. The Program currently serves 804 schools in 206 communities across the Commonwealth.
Learn more about Massachusetts Safe Routes to School.