The Pelham school day has changed for many students now that final exams have begun, however the crossing guards who get the children in and out of school safely have had to remain on their old schedules.
Tillis A. Roberts, a crossing guard outside Pelham Memorial High School, said his schedule should have changed with the students. Instead, the 15-year veteran said his typical day remained unchanged and now he is worried about the students he is supposed to help.
"I'm afraid during when I'm unavailable they're going to get hit," Roberts said. "You know how kids are."
Pelham Police Department Chief Joseph Benefico said the town tries to compensate for the altered routine as much as possible.
"There are so many ins-and-outs of the testing schedule that it's hard for us to guarantee that we'll be there," Benefico said. "We make some adjustments at the final exam time but we can't guarantee we'll be there when every kid crosses the street."
Benefico said crossing guards will make further adjustments when the elementary schools begin half day schedules. He said high school students should be old enough to cross the street, while middle and elementary school students need more assistance.
The police chief said crossing guards had been posted at the schools from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. this year for schools' lunch hours. However, the town eliminated that shift for next year because of budget constraints.
Those same budget issues are what Roberts said caused his schedule problems. He said the schedule calls for a guard to be posted outside from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. during finals. So far, though, he has only been called to his regular duties from 7:25 a.m. to 8:40 a.m. and 2:10 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.
The crossing guard said the students have suffered because of the issue.
"Normally I would be on top of it," Roberts said. "They've been neglected this year."
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