Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
After child hit in crosswalk, Kettering launches Cross‑Safe initiative and residents press for law and infrastructure changes
Summary
Council heard public testimony about multiple student–vehicle collisions and approved a city schools partnership called Cross‑Safe Kettering to expand crosswalk education, enforcement, and infrastructure reviews; a parent urged changing local law to shift legal burden from children to adult drivers in school zones.
Kettering officials presented a citywide pedestrian-safety effort called Cross‑Safe Kettering and heard emotional public testimony from parents calling for faster action after children were struck near schools.
City staff described Cross‑Safe Kettering as a multi-pronged program that combines education in schools, increased police presence in school zones, recruitment of additional crossing guards, incentive programs for safe crossing habits and a standing crash-analysis committee to identify infrastructure fixes. "We're working together to educate students about crosswalk safety... and we're increasing police presence around school zones and recruiting additional crossing guards," a staff presenter said.
During public comment, resident Jamie Minish recounted her 12-year-old son being struck by a vehicle while riding an electric scooter in a marked crosswalk on Oct. 14, 2025. She said Kettering EMS and police responded and her son was taken to the hospital and later released with a bruised tailbone. According to Minish’s account, a responding officer told the family the child was at fault because he had a foot on the scooter and thus—under local ordinance language cited by the officer—was not protected by pedestrian statutes. Minish urged council to "shift the legal burden of negligence away from the kids to the adult drivers, at least as it relates to school zones," and asked for better signage, lighting and enforcement.
"I firmly believe that Kettering must act for the benefit of all school age kids," Minish said in council chambers. Emily Manrique, who also spoke, thanked staff and engineers for follow-up after earlier incidents and urged continued improvements so "we don't have to get any more emails from our school district telling us that another child has been hit."
Council and staff acknowledged the concern and staff said they will pursue Cross‑Safe components immediately: targeted education, enforcement emphasis, increased crossing-guard recruitment, and the new crash-analysis committee (to be led by engineering staff) to identify physical improvements. Council members thanked speakers for testifying and said short-term steps and longer-term infrastructure work are underway. The transcript shows no change to local ordinances during the meeting; parents’ requests for legal changes were noted for follow-up.
