Crosswalk Where Boy was Hit Will Continue to Have Guard

A crosswalk on Arbor Street will continued to be staffed by a crossing guard at school opening and closing time.

A boy was struck by a car and injured his leg along that section of Arbor Street last June. Since then, Superintendent Michael Harvey said parents and residents had expressed concern about safety in the area as students head to and from Buker Elementary School, which is around the corner on School Street.

“There was a lot of concern about children crossing at that crosswalk without an adult there,” Harvey said.

There has been a crossing guard at the crosswalk since the second week in September, Harvey said. Just recently, the position became open and the position has been advertised. Harvey said the plan is continue to staff and fund the position.

The decision to place a crossing guard there this year was made after Buker Principal Brian O’Donoghue and Cutler Elementary School Principal Jen Clifford met with Harvey at the start of the school year.

“How do we attack this?” Harvey said they asked themselves.

Clifford said there was a crossing guard near Cutler that was under-utilized.” So that position was moved to Arbor Street.

Harvey said that even though the Wenham Police Department had upped its traffic patrols in the area and launched a driver safety campaign at the start of the school year, it was determined that a crossing guard was needed there.

In July, in response to a question on Patch, at least six local residents identified Arbor Street as an area where people often speed and some even identified the crosswalk where a crossing guard has been added since September.