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City of Orange, OUSD to add and relocate crossing guards after warrant study
Summary
City officials presented a warrant study recommending crossing-guard coverage at 17 locations; the plan would relocate four existing posts and add five new posts, with the city and district having shared study costs and the city describing enforcement and education tied to the school year.
City of Orange officials told the Orange Unified School District Board on June 18 that a recent warrant study supports expanding crossing-guard coverage at 17 locations near local schools, relocating four existing posts and adding five new posts.
City Manager (as identified in the presentation) introduced the study and said the city and the district shared the cost of the study. Police and traffic staff explained their method: they apply statewide and local “warrants” based on pedestrian and vehicle counts and the level of traffic control at intersections. The city’s local warrant requires lower pedestrian counts (20 in a peak period) than the statewide guideline (40), which made more locations eligible.
Traffic Engineer Larry Tate and Police representatives explained that the recommendations include new posts at West Orange Elementary (Almond & Pepper), California Inspire Academy (Adams & Cambridge), Prospect Elementary (Spring & Prospect and Spring & Serrano) and Serrano Elementary (Santiago & Serrano), and that Sycamore and Chapman Hills would lose their current posts because walking patterns and traffic controls changed.
The police department described targeted enforcement and education campaigns at the start of school and after breaks and said contractor ACMS will staff many crossings; the city noted a pilot of beacons and other visibility improvements at problem locations.
City officials also described partnerships and bridge funding from county supervisors to fill gaps while outsourcing and staffing constraints were addressed. Trustees thanked the city for the partnership and asked follow-up questions about criteria, enforcement, bus stop safety and public outreach.
What happens next: the city will implement staffing changes and coordinate enforcement and education with the district ahead of the next school year.
