Parents call for an additional crossing guard at Hewitt Elementary School

Concerned parents in the Rockville Centre School District have called for an additional crossing guard outside Hewitt Elementary School, after an incident last week in which a student was nearly struck by a car while trying to cross Hempstead Avenue.

School officials discussed the matter at the Board of Education meeting on Oct. 5.

“Speaking on behalf of the Board of Education, I can say that we are all extremely grateful that our student was safe and unharmed,” district Superintendent Matthew Gaven said. “I have been in contact with the child’s parents and have conveyed our share of relief. I can also express our board’s commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of our students.”

Rachel Ferrick, a parent of three children who attend Hewitt Elementary, told the board what she saw as a group of children and adults tried to cross the busy roadway during dismissal.

“The car directly in front of me, amazingly, was able to swerve and jam on the brakes,” Ferrick said. “As you’re now aware, the larger issue at hand is that there’s only one crossing guard to cross nearly 475 children safely” at the corner of DeMott and Hempstead avenues.

Ferrick added that there are no crosswalks, traffic lights or crossing guards for those who live north of DeMott.

“And even if, as suggested, we all walk a quarter of a mile out of the way, often with other children in tow, to cross at that one corner, is it actually safe for that many children and adults to be walking en masse through the intersection?” she asked. “I think we’ve reached a tipping point. So far we’ve been very lucky that no one has been seriously injured or killed. Going back several years, the community has petitioned for a crossing guard, and has been told it’s a budgetary issue from the school district.”

Ferrick also said that the village is allotted a number of crossing guards who are spread out across the district, and suggested stationing an additional guard on the north side of the school.

Gaven said that since the incident occurred, the district has taken several steps to address the issue, and has been working closely with the Rockville Centre Police Department to patrol the area. The school administration has also been in touch with the village government, he added, to formulate possible solutions to the problem.

Because Hempstead Avenue is a county-controlled roadway, Gaven said, he has reached out to Mayor Francis Murray to request that Nassau County conduct another traffic study focusing on Hempstead Avenue.

“We’re reaching back out to the county,” Murray said. “They’ve done at least one study in the past that determined we cannot put a stop sign or a crosswalk at the intersection of Haddock Lane, because it would back up traffic and make it unsafe.”

Gaven said that as a more immediate solution, the district and the village are discussing changing the timing of the traffic light at Hempstead and DeMott, so it would potentially be a red in all directions upon activating the crosswalk, similar to the intersection of Long Beach Road and DeMott, by the Rockville Links.

“We’re also looking to add warning lights around the stop signs around the school,” Gaven said. “This would not just be at Hewitt, so our approach to safety is comprehensive.”

Jeffrey Greenfield, a resident who has advocated for safety measures such as school bus cameras, said that the Lynbrook School District took a similar approach, and now has flashing lights on stop signs in front of schools.

Similarly, Valley Stream District 30 recently partnered with the Town of Hempstead to install new LED stop signs at the corner of Forest and Brook roads.

Greenfield, whose daughter fell into a coma after she was struck by a car on Hempstead Avenue 23 years ago, said he applauded the board for taking action to address this issue.

“Nothing was worse than getting that phone call and being driven by the police to Nassau University Medical Center,” Greenfield said. “It’s something no parent should ever experience.”

As another strategy, the school district has asked police officials to conduct safety assemblies in the coming months at district elementary and middle schools, focusing on traffic safety.

“The board is committed to the safety of all our students and families,” school board President Kelly Barry said. “We fully support the continued partnership with the village and the county to examine the ways in which we can continue to provide safer environments for all of our students.”

Gaven said that during his recent observational visits to Hewitt Elementary, he spoke with several parents, who agreed that while the county conducts its study and the school district explores different approaches to the issue, they should stick to the “common-sense approach” for the time being and closely monitor the existing crosswalk.

Greenfield agreed, though he added that people would still attempt to cross Hempstead Avenue near Haddock Lane to the north.

“People aren’t going to go to the corner,” Greenfield said. “Let’s be honest — especially if it’s inclement weather and they’re parked across the way.”