Crossing Guard Information

At its August 16, 2022 meeting, the Town Council voted to renew the Town’s contract with All City Management Services (ACMS) to oversee the school crossing guard program. For many years the Town of Westfield had managed its crossing guard program through the Westfield Police Department, but in 2019, following careful consideration and analysis, the Town made a decision to partner with ACMS, based largely on its reputation for high quality standards and cost-effective solutions.  

Background

Over the last three years, Westfield has benefited from ACMS’ 30 years of experience across the country, managing some 6,000 crossing guards in 25 states. This partnership provides dedicated support and expertise to our crossing guards, some of whom have been serving the school children in our community for decades. Importantly, it represents a much better use of taxpayer dollars by enabling our police officers to prioritize law enforcement and emergency response, rather than consistently serving as crossing guards and overseeing recruiting and retention efforts for the program. 

The selection of post locations for this school year was rooted in our commitment to safety, as well as the need to retain a robust corps of crossing guards, who can consistently and reliably assist the children walking to school. 

Local Program Supervision

ACMS’ program in Westfield is managed locally by two supervisors, who oversee the crossing guard program on a daily basis – from staffing, to covering posts, to ongoing communication with the Police Department as needed. 

As part of the contract renewal, and in an effort to improve guard retention, our guards are receiving an hourly wage increase, as well as three guaranteed paid snow days for the school year. This will help ACMS achieve the consistency at posts that both they and the Town of Westfield desire.

The post locations have been determined based on evaluations done over the past school year so that crossing assistance to students will be provided at intersections with the highest pedestrian volume, typically those closest to the schools, and at those located on state and county roads, which tend to have more traffic. Although police officers will continue to cover any open post that ACMS is unable to provide coverage for, ACMS reports that recruitment for the school year is trending much more favorably than last year.

Additional Public Safety Measures

To enhance public safety, the post at Westfield High School at Rahway and Dorian will now be staffed by a police officer, who has the authority to direct traffic at this heavily traveled intersection and enforce the no left turn from Dorian put in place in 2020 to help mitigate congestion in that area.

In addition, police officers, if not otherwise committed to calls for service, will be present in the areas around our schools at designated drop-off and pick-up times. This will include three full-time School Resource Officers (one each assigned to Westfield High School, Edison Intermediate School and Roosevelt Intermediate School), as well as detectives and officers assigned to the Juvenile & Community Bureau.  

Posts for 2022-2023 School Year

After reviews of foot traffic patterns and safety considerations, we will start this school year with three more posts than where we ended the last school year. The program will focus on the areas closest to the schools and those roads most heavily traveled, with the expectation that staffing fulfillment levels will be greatly improved so that police can provide support, versus covering posts.  

As we progress through what is (hopefully) the first school year with regular in-school attendance since ACMS was hired, the Town will gather data and feedback to continue optimizing its crossing guard services, and make any adjustments necessary to best serve the community. 

Residents are asked to familiarize themselves with the list below and identify the closest crossing guard post to their walking route prior to the first day of the school year.

We are grateful for our dedicated team of crossing guards and would like to thank them for their service to our town and our children.  We wish them and our students a happy and healthy school year. 

Westfield High School

Dorian Rd. / Park St. / Westfield Ave.

Dorian Rd. / Rahway Ave.

Dorian Rd. / Trinity Pl.

Edison Intermediate School

Rahway Ave. / West Grove St.

Summit Ave. / West Grove St.

Westfield Ave. / West Grove St.

Roosevelt Intermediate School

Clark St. / Tuttle Pkwy.

Clark St. / West Dudley Ave.

East & West Dudley Ave. / Prospect St.

Kimball Ave. / Mountain Ave.

Tuttle Pkwy. / West North Ave.

Tuttle Pkwy. / West South Ave.

Franklin Elementary School

Clark St. / Stanmore Pl.

Elm St. / Sinclair Pl.

Lawrence Ave. / Sinclair Pl.

Newton Pl. / Prospect St.

Prospect St. / Stanmore Pl.

Jefferson Elementary School

Boulevard / Landsdowne Ave.

Central Avenue / Cambridge Road

Central Avenue / Sycamore Street

Landsdowne Ave. / Summit Ave.

McKinley Elementary School

First St. / Osborn Ave.

Osborn Ave. / West Broad St.

Tamaques Elementary School

Baltimore Ave. / Willow Grove Rd.

Rahway Ave. / Willow Grove Rd.

Washington Elementary School

Saint Marks Ave. / Sherman St.

Saint Marks Ave. / Wells St.

Wilson Elementary School

Baker Ave. / Kimball Ave.

Baker Ave. / Winyah Ave.

Kimball Ave. / Linden Ave.

Kimball Ave. / North Chestnut St.

Linden Ave. / Winyah Ave.

Lincoln Early Childhood Center

Everson Pl. / Westfield Ave.

Holy Trinity School

First St. / Rahway Ave.

First St. / Trinity Pl.