Crossing Guard Information

At its August 15, 2023 meeting, the Town Council voted to renew the Town’s contract with All City Management Services (ACMS) to oversee the school crossing guard program. For many years the Town of Westfield had managed its crossing guard program through the Westfield Police Department, but in 2019, following careful consideration and analysis, the Town made a decision to partner with ACMS, based largely on its reputation for high quality standards and cost-effective solutions.  

Background

Over the last four years, Westfield has benefited from ACMS’ 30 years of experience across the country, managing some 6,000 crossing guards in 25 states. This partnership provides dedicated support and expertise to our crossing guards, some of whom have been serving the school children in our community for decades. Importantly, it represents a much better use of taxpayer dollars by enabling our police officers to prioritize law enforcement and emergency response, rather than consistently serving as crossing guards and overseeing recruiting and retention efforts for the program.

Local Program Supervision

ACMS’ program in Westfield is managed locally by two supervisors, who oversee the crossing guard program on a daily basis – from staffing, to covering posts, to ongoing communication with the Police Department as needed. 

Following the staffing issues posed by COVID, ACMS maintained full staffing for the entire 2022-23 school year, eliminating the need for police officers to fill posts. Previously, the Police Department had filled posts almost 100 days of the school year, which was reduced to only three days this past school year. 

The post locations are unchanged from last year, and were determined so that crossing assistance to students is provided at intersections with the highest pedestrian volume, typically those closest to the schools, and at those located on state and county roads, which tend to have more traffic. 

Additional Public Safety Measures 

To enhance public safety, the post at Westfield High School at Rahway and Dorian will continue to be staffed by a police officer, who has the authority to direct traffic at this heavily traveled intersection and enforce the no left turn from Dorian put in place in 2020 to help mitigate congestion in that area.

In addition, police officers, if not otherwise committed to calls for service, will be present in the areas around our schools at designated drop-off and pick-up times. This will include three full-time School Resource Officers (one each assigned to Westfield High School, Edison Intermediate School and Roosevelt Intermediate School), as well as detectives and officers assigned to the Juvenile & Community Bureau.  

Posts for 2023-2024 School Year

This year, we willl have the same number of posts as last year, with the program focusing on the areas closest to the schools and those roads most heavily traveled. Residents are asked to familiarize themselves with the list below and identify the closest crossing guard post to their walking route prior to the first day of the school year.

We are grateful for our dedicated team of crossing guards and would like to thank them for their service to our town and our children.  We wish them and our students a happy and healthy school year.

Westfield High School

Dorian Rd. / Park St. / Westfield Ave.

Dorian Rd. / Rahway Ave.

Dorian Rd. / Trinity Pl.

Edison Intermediate School

Rahway Ave. / West Grove St.

Summit Ave. / West Grove St.

Westfield Ave. / West Grove St.

Roosevelt Intermediate School

Clark St. / Tuttle Pkwy.

Clark St. / West Dudley Ave.

East & West Dudley Ave. / Prospect St.

Kimball Ave. / Mountain Ave.

Tuttle Pkwy. / West North Ave.

Tuttle Pkwy. / West South Ave.

Franklin Elementary School

Clark St. / Stanmore Pl.

Elm St. / Sinclair Pl.

Lawrence Ave. / Sinclair Pl.

Newton Pl. / Prospect St.

Prospect St. / Stanmore Pl.

Jefferson Elementary School

Boulevard / Landsdowne Ave.

Central Avenue / Cambridge Road

Central Avenue / Sycamore Street

Landsdowne Ave. / Summit Ave.

McKinley Elementary School

First St. / Osborn Ave.

Osborn Ave. / West Broad St.

Tamaques Elementary School

Baltimore Ave. / Willow Grove Rd.

Rahway Ave. / Willow Grove Rd.

Washington Elementary School

Saint Marks Ave. / Sherman St.

Saint Marks Ave. / Wells St.

Wilson Elementary School

Baker Ave. / Kimball Ave.

Baker Ave. / Winyah Ave.

Kimball Ave. / Linden Ave.

Kimball Ave. / North Chestnut St.

Linden Ave. / Winyah Ave.

Lincoln Early Childhood Center

Everson Pl. / Westfield Ave.

Holy Trinity School

First St. / Rahway Ave.

First St. / Trinity Pl.