District Administrator's Corner

by Loren Glasbrenner,  River Valley School District Administrator  In January, we celebrate some incredible individuals that take part in school safety on a daily basis before and after school.  We want to highlight the following persons who serve as our school crossing guards:  Jean Marks, Nora Moe, Rowie Roske, Eugene Schulz, Tara Buringa, and Jeni Kast. These wonderful community members—through rain, sleet, snow, or heat—stand at attention to help our district get people safely to and from our campus.  And, if you want to witness a daily miracle in traffic congestion, come down to the east end of Daley Street in the morning or mid-afternoon.  These kind individuals help our most vulnerable pedestrians on a daily basis, amongst the bus transportation and daily pick up and drop off by parents.  Their commitment really truly does make a difference.   School safety is important to our families and a trained school crossing guard can help to accomplish the following goals (http://guide.saferoutesinfo.org/crossing_guard): • Our crossing guards encourage safe behavior by all pedestrians at the school crossing. They discourage children from behaving unsafely near traffic, such as darting into the street without looking or crossing against a traffic signal. • Our crossing guards utilize gaps in traffic to help students cross safely.  When the natural traffic flow does not allow enough time for children to safely cross a street, a guard may need to create gaps by stopping traffic temporarily.  The guard stops traffic with hand signals or a “STOP” paddle, then verbally directs children to cross the street.  A guard is always the first person in the street and the last person out of the street. • Our crossing guards alert motorists that pedestrians are in the process of using the school crossing. • Our guards also help observe and report any incidents or conditions that present a potential safety hazard to the school children or the guard. In cooperation with the Village of Spring Green, we would like to thank our crossing guards for their dedication to our district and assistance with safety.  Their work is important and we appreciate them greatly.