Who Is Responsible For the Safety of Our Children?

I will preface my new blog post by disclosing the following: my nephew and told me that  although he really enjoyed it, he felt I sounded a tad angry.  Well, I told him he mistook anger for passion.  Passion, I am full of it.  Anger is too much energy with little reward. 

I write this statement, while thinking of a potential issue facing the children in our city, and honestly, I do feel a little angry. So Jonathan, understand, Auntie Jenn may also sound a little angry in this post to your ears, but it comes with full disclosure.

Many of you have actually reached out to me to discuss the crossing guard issue facing Foster City schools.  For those of you without children, in a nutshell, the City Council is proposing a budget cut 0f just under $22K to cut out the crossing guards at our 3 elementary schools.  I understand budgets as I have owned my own business for the past 10+ years, and also managed a household for the past 15+ years. 

I also understand revenue shortfalls and the need to preserve reserve funds and to act fiscally responsible in a down economy.  I do not understand risking the safety of school children. To be completely frank, the crossing guards we have placed at the 3 schools (which does not include ...another total nightmare, I almost saw my daughter run over by an errant parent in a crosswalk right in front of me), are not even enough. 

Every parent who has attempted to walk their child into any of these schools in the mornings, will attest and agree, it is an issue.  Crossing guards fall under the public safety umbrella.  Public safety is not a school issue, but a city issue. It would be nice and simplistic to think any parent who has a child in school would take extra care to drive safely and cautiously while around a school, but in reality, not the case. I don't have an answer as to why this is the case, but nor do I have an answer as to why my kids leave their clothes on the floor when a dirty clothes basket is sitting right their for them.  Some things just don't make sense.

We have an obligation as a community to protect our children (and also their parents and grandparents who walk them into school).  There is something about that bright orange vest and stop sign which makes cars take notice and actually slow down and stop.   If you have children at a Foster City school, you know with the modernization project, parking is only going to get worse.  This means parents will be forced to park further away, and also, many will be walking or biking to school.  This will increase the foot traffic even more.  More pedestrians out for irresponsible drivers to hit.

Come to the June 6 City Council meeting and let your voice be heard.  Children need advocates, our job is to be their voice when they cannot be heard.