Trustees at the Laramie County School District #1 meeting pressed administration on ways to make students’ routes to school safer, including expanding PTO-led volunteer crossing guard programs and considering staff or paid positions where volunteers aren’t feasible.

The discussion began during board communications when Trustee Ashby asked whether the district could “leverage what’s happening” at schools where parent organizations already provide crossing guards and help replicate that model elsewhere in the district. Doctor Newton, who led the district’s administrative response, said some schools already have strong PTO-run programs and the district can assist other schools in adopting similar approaches.

Legal questions dominated the discussion. Trustee Dimple asked whether volunteer crossing guards would expose the district to new liability. Doctor Newton and board legal counsel said recent state legislation protects an individual crossing guard from being sued in their personal capacity but does not bar lawsuits against the district; counsel pointed to protections under the Wyoming Governmental Claims Act and explained that the act limits recoverable damages but does not preclude a claim.

“I choose to not live my life afraid of lawsuit,” Trustee Cook said, pledging to do whatever she can to keep children safe and recounting her experience briefly serving as a crossing guard this fall. Cook described confronting hostility while performing crossing guard duties and said parent and staff volunteers can form trustworthy on-the-ground supervision.

Trustees and administrators flagged several implementation challenges: timing of supervision (before and after school may conflict with staff responsibilities on campus), gaps in adult availability at peak crossing times, varying road speeds and traffic patterns near some schools, and the need to coordinate with law enforcement where school-zone roads are city streets. Several trustees recommended asking principals how their PTOs organize coverage and working with community partners and SROs to design school-specific solutions.

The board asked Doctor Newton and staff to convene principals, PTO leaders and law enforcement partners to map options and report back. The board did not adopt a districtwide policy at the meeting, but members indicated support to begin work with schools that already have volunteer programs and to explore mixed models where paid staff, volunteers and city partners could provide coverage depending on local conditions.

The board’s next steps: the administration will start conversations with principals and partners and return with recommended options and feasibility assessments.