Seattle needs crossing guards - let's make it more equitable to hire them!
Crossing guards are a critical part of Safe Routes to School. Many guards are beloved pillars of their community and all of them serve in bad weather for little pay at locations that have been identified as dangerous.
40% of these critical posts are currently vacant and an upfront fingerprinting fee is an unnecessary barrier to many applicants. Crossing guard applicants are often on fixed incomes and frequently have to save up or wait for a monthly check to afford the fee, which slows down the process of filling these critical safety roles.
SPS should pay for the onboarding fingerprints rather than requiring crossing guard applicants to pay the $55 fee upfront. SPS already does this for other hourly staff. Eliminating this barrier would get more guards in place more quickly and help ensure that kids have help crossing dangerous intersections.