Fairfax County leaders vote to restore funding for high school crossing guards

FAIRFAX, Va. - The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to restore funding to bring back high school crossing guards.

What we know:

This comes after several incidents involving students and car crashes, one of them fatal. FOX Five’s Melanie Alnwick says there have been at least four incidents involving Fairfax County students being hit by cars.

RELATED: Calls for permanent crossing guards intensify after 3 Fairfax County students involved in crashes

Police say there have been two fatal crashes where drivers failed to yield when turning right. The collisions have parents asking for extra safety precautions.

On September 1, a South Lakes High School student was struck by a car while walking to school. She had minor injuries and is recovering. The driver stayed on scene.

Parents were angry because the county cut funding for high school crossing guards. Following the accident, the county temporarily reinstated crossing guards at 10 high schools.

RELATED: Fairfax County leader recommends restoring high school crossing guards, implementing safety changes

The $707,908 approved by the board Tuesday will fund the restoration of crossing guards at the following high schools for the rest of the year:

• Annandale
• Centreville
• Chantilly
• Edison
• McLean
• Oakton
• South County
• South Lakes
• West Springfield
• West Potomac

Crossing guard duties will be covered by a combination of contractors and uniformed police officers.

Community speaks out ahead of vote 

What they're saying:

Ahead of the vote Tuesday, leaders got an earful from students, parents, educators and board members wanting to know why it took a tragedy to get county lawmakers to reconsider the decision. 

"This is entirely unacceptable, and this absolutely would not have happened if we had crossing guards in place," said student Sara Russell. 

Parents demanded to know how the original decision was made and why crossing guards were cut in the first place. 

"You told Fairfax County residents this decision was based on clearly defined metrics," said resident Joy Jiandani. "We're simply asking you to show us those metrics."

Board Chairman Jeff McKay previously said the budgetary decision was "data driven."

Students told FOX 5 that if anyone had asked them, they could have told them the crossing guards should never have been removed. 

"Transit safety is complex, and this county does not have a thorough plan to make sure people are safe," said Fairfax County School Board member Melanie Meren. 

Dig deeper:

Fairfax County police are launching another safety initiative after a 13‑year‑old was struck and killed by a truck exiting the Turnpike Shopping Center on Pickett Road. "Operation Right Turn" will have officers doing extra enforcement.

Drivers who fail to yield to pedestrians could receive a $50 fine. 

NewsFairfax CountyEducationTraffic