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Parents press Kettering council to act after multiple student pedestrian strikes; police and staff promise review
Summary
Several parents reported multiple pedestrian incidents near Kettering schools and urged immediate engineering and enforcement fixes (signals, four‑way stops, daylighting, raised crosswalks); the police chief said the department will coordinate with schools and the engineering department to evaluate short-term enforcement and long-term engineering solutions.
Multiple parents and community members told Kettering City Council on Oct. 15 that children have been struck or nearly struck while crossing streets near local schools and urged immediate action to reduce the risk.
Emily Manrique (2921 Blackhawk Road) described several recent incidents — including one earlier the same day — in which students were hit or nearly hit at crosswalks near Fairmont High School and Kettering Middle School. She said she had reported earlier near-miss incidents involving her own daughter and asked the council to prioritize a solution at the intersection of Glengarry Drive and Powhattan Place, suggesting either a four-way stop or a signalized crossing with time-of-day activation.
Ashlin Wit (1349 Melrose Avenue) added that her children walk to Southdale Elementary and that crossing guards have had to physically block traffic to protect students. She suggested infrastructure fixes such as daylighting, high-visibility pavement markings, bump-outs, raised crosswalks and stepped-up enforcement (including more frequent police presence in school zones) as immediate and medium-term responses.
Police Chief (name given in transcript as Chief) acknowledged the incidents and called them a high priority, saying the department will work with the Kettering schools and the city’s engineering department to evaluate appropriate measures to keep children safe. Council members urged residents to provide specific locations and said staff will study engineering options and enforcement needs.
No specific traffic-calming project was authorized at the Oct. 15 meeting; residents were encouraged to leave contact information for staff follow-up. The council indicated it intends to coordinate among police, schools and engineering staff and to report back at a subsequent meeting.
