City and school officials are working together to find ways to improve pedestrian safety for families and children going to and from school.
Duval County Public Schools District 3 Board Member Cindy Pearson and District 5 City Councilmember Joe Carlucci spoke with parents about driver and pedestrian safety at a Town Hall Meeting at Samuel A. Wolfson School for Advanced Studies on Wednesday, Sept. 17.
The town hall was spurred by three pedestrian/vehicle accidents that occurred within the first week of the new school year, one of them resulting in the tragic death of a young teenager. At the meeting, Pearson said that since then, three more students have been struck by vehicles.
These six are compounded by the 43 students hit by cars, with three fatalities, during the 2024-25 school year, painting a grim picture for pedestrian safety in Jacksonville.
“That is totally unacceptable for our students,” Pearson said.
San Jose Elementary School parent Erin Lewis raised questions about crossing guards, prompting a discussion on why they are not posted at middle or high schools, or in areas with higher pedestrian risk when crossing roads.
While Florida State Statute does not specify the schools – elementary, middle, or high schools – that require crossing guards, Pearson said the City of Jacksonville limits them to elementary schools only. Duval County School Police Department Chief Jackson W. Short added that those positions, controlled by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, can be challenging to fill.
“They’re (JSO) constantly trying to fill those positions, but they only make a few hours of salary a day and the salary is not great either, so they’re having a hard time with recruiting and retaining those crossing guard positions,” Short said.
“Part of the solution is asking the City to consider expanding opportunities for not only crossing guards, but school zones, flashing lights, and so on to schools that are more than just elementary schools, looking at some of the opportunities in the secondary schools where we’re having some of these challenges,” Short added.
The discussion included ideas for other safety measures, from reducing speed limits on certain roads to installing speed humps or raised crosswalks.
Following the meeting, Carlucci said much of what he heard from parents involved larger projects that require significant planning and design.
“Really, it just boils down to priority,” Carlucci said. “It’s going to be a priority for me – it has been: I’ve done a lot of little, small ones, but as the conversation has evolved, we’ve seen bigger things that can be done.”
Some of these larger projects could involve road diets for specific areas: Carlucci said the road on which San Jose Elementary School is located has been identified as a potential candidate for a road diet to help calm traffic, though that is still in discussions.
“That’s kind of the direction FDOT is going, TPO (North Florida Transportation Planning Organization) likes,” Carlucci said. “They like road dieting more streets to make them safer instead of more lines and more lights.”
DCPS Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier attended the meeting as well, stepping forward to share some remarks at closing, referencing the DCPS “Be Safe. Be Seen” Campaign.
“It’s a wonderful catchphrase, but it’s going to require all of us working together to figure out how we can make sure that children can get to and from school safely, whether it’s DuPont Avenue, whether it’s a particular intersection, whether it’s the street just outside,” Bernier said, “and open the awareness that, while it’s going to be more expensive, what’s the cost to a family whose life is irreparably changed?”
Following the meeting, Julia Landon College Preparatory PSTA President and parent Leah Kennelly said she was encouraged by the conversation at the meeting and the steps that are already being taken. She emphasized the importance for everyone – drivers, parents and students – to be vigilant on the roadways and sidewalks, particularly near the San Marco middle school, which she said is tucked away behind Hendricks Avenue.
“I think a lot of people truly, truly in their heart of hearts don’t realize there’s a middle school right there,” Kennelly said. “…I do know we all need to work together as a community to keep our children safe.”
