Commission hears annual crossing guard report; Conejo Elementary slated for removal under two-year rule

City staff presented the Traffic and Transportation Advisory Commission with the annual counts for the school crossing guard program on April 22, saying 12 of 14 staffed locations met the city’s standards this year and one location will be added back.

Public Works Director Nader Adari said the city operates a 14-location crossing guard program based on an internal placement standard, adopted most recently in 2023, that uses a 20-pedestrian threshold — roughly half the state’s 40-pedestrian standard — and a two-year consecutive shortfall rule before a guard may be removed. "The policy has a 2 year consecutive year rule, that needs to be met before any locations are considered for removal from the program," Adari said.

Staff reported Conejo Elementary has not met the counts for two consecutive years and will be removed from the city’s staffed list under that rule; Acacia and Redwood did not meet this year’s counts but will remain staffed because they have not failed the two-year requirement. One site at the Sycamore campus (Villarillo and Via Las Brisas) requalified and will be added back into the program for 2026–27.

Dos Bientos resident and Sycamore Canyon parent Jennifer Betts urged the commission to go beyond counts, asking staff to conduct signal-warrant analyses at nearby intersections where a May 2025 fatality occurred and to pair new crossing-guard placements with speed reductions and corridor engineering. "A low count after a fatality is evidence of a problem, not evidence of its absence," Betts said.

Staff responded that marked crosswalks and signals are governed by specific criteria. Senior engineer Jim Michiko said the posted speed at the site is 45 mph and that a curve there reduces sight lines. Michiko also said the May 2025 collision was an "exceptional situation" that occurred outside school hours and, to his knowledge, involved a driver traveling "well in excess of the posted speed limit." He added that crossing guards would not necessarily mitigate the sight-line and speed problems identified.

Commissioners asked whether school enrollment is considered in the placement formula. Staff said the city’s lower numeric threshold (20 pedestrians) is intended to accommodate differences among campuses and that the policy does not currently use a percentage-of-enrollment calculation. Commissioners also highlighted the role school districts can play — paying for additional guards where the district wishes — and the existence of a formal appeal process beginning 14 days after the meeting for those who wish to contest a removal.

Because the counts are an informational item, the commission did not vote on the staffing changes. Staff said it will continue outreach with affected schools and that the policy’s alternative criteria and two-year safeguard are intended to prevent single-year losses of service.