Parents urge Montclair council to fix unsafe crossing near Buen Vista School; city to investigate

Parents urged the Montclair City Council to act after describing repeated near misses and what they called inadequate crossing guard coverage at the intersection serving Buen Vista School.

Dr. Jared Garcia, a parent of a first grader, said the crossing guard assigned to the intersection consistently stops traffic only in an L-shaped pattern to serve the Ontario side, leaving more than 50 children who cross on the Montclair side without protection. "Safety above policy is in question here and our children are not sacrificial Lambs for the bureaucracy of City jurisdiction red tape," Dr. Garcia said, urging the council to approve a second crossing guard in the upcoming budget and to direct staff to negotiate a temporary safety plan with the crossing‑guard company until a second guard is in place.

Ever Rodriguez, another parent whose children attend the same school, told the council he and other parents have raised the matter with school administrators and district safety staff since 2021 without an adequate response; he described speeding vehicles, drivers not yielding and verbal abuse from drivers toward parents and children.

Council response and next steps: The mayor asked the city manager to have staff investigate and prepare a memo for council. The city manager said the city shares one‑third of crossing‑guard costs per an agreement with the Ontario Montclair School District and asked parents to submit a petition with names, addresses and phone numbers to the city manager's or city clerk's office so staff can follow up directly and coordinate with the district and crossing‑guard contractor.

Status: The council did not vote on an immediate staffing or funding change during the meeting. Parents were told staff will investigate and report back and were encouraged to file a petition to help staff prioritize and respond.