Middle school PTSA and Superintendent advocate for extended hours for crossing guards to cover “zero period”
Members of the NMS PTSA recently requested that crossing guards be assigned to their posts earlier in the morning to cover the time slot before zero period. Photo courtesy NENUFSD website.
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Since late November, Superintendent of Schools Robert Banzer and the Northport Middle School Parent Teacher Student Association (NMS PTSA) have advocated for the safety of students who walk to school for “zero period.” Attended by nearly 90% of the middle school’s students, zero period begins at 8am and includes courses such as band, orchestra and chorus, as well as special education services.
Safety concerns centered around students navigating busy intersections before crossing guard shifts began at 7:45am. Mr. Banzer and the PTSA board requested that crossing guards, who are employed by the Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD), be assigned to their posts from 7:30-9:15am in order to cover the time slot before zero period.
In a December 9 letter to the SCPD Commissioner, members of the the NMS PTSA board explained that students were “crossing State Route 25A – a very busy and dangerous road with a speed limit of 40mph near the school – at three heavily-trafficked intersections starting at 7:30am, well before crossing guards arrive at 7:45am.”
What was even more alarming, according to the PTSA letter, was that the student body at NMS is younger than previous years, with the district reorganization putting grades 5-8 in the middle school buildings. “Elementary students as young as 9, 10 and 11 years old are crossing these dangerous intersections from 7:30-7:45am without the protection of a crossing guard,” the board wrote.
On February 3, NMS Principal Tim Hoss notified school families that after careful review, the SCPD authorized an earlier start time (7:30am) for the crossing guards. In his email to NMS parents, Mr. Hoss thanked the crossing guards for their cooperation and continued efforts to ensure that all students get to school safely, and he wished to “acknowledge the hard work of our families and NMS PTA who took the time to write to the Commissioner and spearhead the effort to make this change happen.”
NMS PTSA board member Julie Atkins said that the letters by Mr. Banzer and the board were helpful in explaining the issue and advocating for a change. In addition, Suffolk County Legislator Rob Trotta, who represents the NMS district, was pivotal in making this happen, along with support from Legislators Stephanie Bontempi and Manuel Esteban.
