Crossing guards say more are needed at Hanks

Hanks High School has less crossing guards than it used to, and the remaining crossing guards said that’s a big safety problem. But the Ysleta Independent School district has said it’s not an issue.

Hanks is on the very busy intersection of Montwood and Lee Trevino on the Eastside. It sees a lot of traffic, both by vehicle and on foot, particularly around lunch time.

The crossing guards said that without enough people to do the job, things can get very dangerous.

“Oh, the students would take over the street,” said crossing guard Avelino Torres. “And they wouldn’t let the cars move at all. We need to have two here at all times because this is the most dangerous crosswalk out of all of them. More students, more people cross at this one during lunch hour than any of the other ones on Montwood.”

Torres said that three crossing guards just isn’t enough. They’re down from five, with the empty positions not filled, though he said the district promised to work on it.

Torres is worried what could happen if students are given free reign and drivers get frustrated, though some students aren’t that worried.

“I don’t think it would be that hard,” said one student using the crosswalk during lunch. “The cars stop every once in a while, so I think it would be pretty easy.”

A YISD spokesperson said that safety is the highest priority, and that they’re not leaving things to chance.
Patricia Ayala said that they’ve shifted some duties to cover the need without having to find people to fill positions that only require five hours a week.

“We’ve always had security and off-duty police officers go ahead and do that before and after school because you have cars involved,” Ayala said. “What you have now is also having them do it during the lunch hour.”

Ayala also said that while the district is technically still looking to fill the crossing guard positions, they’re also evaluating the situation and current system to see if they need to be filled after all.