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LA County Expands Crossing Guard Services To Middle Schools

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Parents are hailing a decision by Los Angeles County officials to expand crossing guard services to middle schools following a deadly accident near a Hollywood campus.

KNX 1070's Ed Mertz reports the County Board of Supervisors Tuesday approved a motion by Supervisor Mike Antonovich directing the Department of Public Works to provide crossing guards to middle schools in unincorporated Los Angeles County.

LA County Expands Crossing Guard Services To Middle Schools

The previous policy had only served elementary schools, according to officials.

Antonovich introduced the motion, which directed the Department of Public Works to implement a pilot program for crossing guard service at Rosemont Middle School in La Crescenta, last year.

The motion came after Antonovich said his office received more than 1,000 letters from parents, students and staff at Rosemont and the Crescenta Valley Town Council in support of expanding the program, which is expected to cost about $800,000 annually.

RELATED: Deasy: LAUSD To Ask For More Crossing Guards In Wake Of Deadly Accident

About 13 percent of the 1,767 pedestrians killed or injured in traffic accidents in 2011 were between the ages of 5 and 14, according to state traffic statistics.

Parents such as Kevin, who has a daughter at Rosemont, said students, teachers and parents shouldn't have had to lobby for a permanent crossing guard after having one on a trial basis.

"Quite honestly, crossing guards isn't something we should have to fight for...it should be just a given," he said. "We should have the opportunities to have them."

Crescenta Valley Town Councilwoman Robbyn Battles also supported the move, saying it would mean "better safety for our kids" after a mother was killed by a big rig truck last month while walking near a Hollywood middle school campus.

(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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