Parents push for more safety precautions after South Philly school left with no crossing guard

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Parents are voicing their frustration after a dangerous intersection outside Philadelphia Performing Arts Charter School in South Philadelphia no longer has a crossing guard.

They say it's putting children's safety at risk.

"These children are going to get severely hurt. It is a mess out here," said another parent, Elaina Lionelli.

Parents say there was a crossing guard at the beginning of the school year but not for long. That crossing guard was removed following several complaints from parents and wasn't replaced.

Parents say for weeks there has been no crossing guard in sight.

The area is packed with cars and kids trying to navigate their way across the street. Charter school maintenance workers are helping to fill the gap.

"Multiple times I grabbed my daughter, literally picked her up and had to jump out of the way of other cars," said parent Tito Bryson.

Parents tell Action News they have contacted the school, police and even 2nd District Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson's office.

A spokesperson for Johnson's office tells Action News they immediately began working to address the issue and a new crossing guard will start Tuesday.

"It is unacceptable that there is not a crossing guard outside of this school. Once our office was informed about it, we worked diligently to get 1st district police to assign a crossing guard to this area," said Johnson in a statement to Action News.

There is still an ongoing push to hire crossing guards across the city.

Police have previously said they were seriously short-staffed when it came to crossing guards.

In December of 2021, the Philadelphia Police told Action News they were at their lowest percentage of crossing guards to date.

Out of the 1,000 corners, only 650 were manned.

On Thursday, the updated numbers weren't shared with Action News, but parents say an officer was present during school dismissal Thursday afternoon.

"We've been told we were going to have a police enforcement and police presence. Because we had the news reach out and ask why nothing is happening, days later we finally get somebody here," said Bryson.

The staff at the charter school says another major safety concern they are working to address is parents' double parking in the street.

The director of school security sent a notice to all parents and staff last week saying in part:

"To many parents are lingering in their cars in front of school and or double parking on Broad St. This is causing major safety issues. I have been personally notified that traffic tickets will be issued to violators. It is imperative that you drive up to the front of the school, drop your child off and immediately drive off. The school will have personnel outside to assist the students getting into school."

Philadelphia residents can apply to be a School Crossing Guard at phila.gov/crossingguards or phila.gov/jobs. The application is fully online.