Clearwater School Crossing Guards Train for New School Year

Crossing Guard Training

• 🍎 Clearwater school crossing guards are undergoing training to prepare for the upcoming school year, which begins next week.
• ⏱️ The guards are practicing their routines, including hand signals and whistle use, to ensure they are ready for their duties.

Supervisor's Role and Experience

• 👨‍✈️ Norm RLS, the school crossing guard supervisor and a retired firefighter EMT, has been a crossing guard for nearly 15 years.
• 🤝 He transitioned to the role after seeking a new job and found it to be a good fit, leveraging his prior experience as a first responder.
• 🎯 As coordinator since 2014, RLS emphasizes the importance of being top-notch and well-trained to ensure children's safety.

Importance of Driver Awareness

• 🚗 RLS highlights that keeping children safe is a team effort, which crucially includes drivers.
• 📱 He urges drivers to be cognizant in school zones and to put away cell phones.

Guarding Students Safely

• 👋 Crossing guards aim to be the first friendly face students see in the morning, helping to ease any tension.
• ✅ They practice specific actions like making turns, keeping hands and signs up, and using whistles to manage traffic and pedestrians.

Hiring and Schedule

• 🌟 Clearwater employs 55 crossing guards and is actively looking to hire more.
• ⏰ The typical hours are 7:45 AM to 10:00 AM and 2:30 PM to 4:45 PM.
• 📝 Interested individuals can apply through the Clearwater Police Department.