- Emmaus has proposed shifting crossing guard responsibilities to East Penn School District
- Citing a request by the school district, a similar agreement in Lower Macungie and declining volunteerism, the position will be shifted to a hired position
- An agreement has yet to be introduced
EMMAUS, Pa. — Control of elementary school crossing guards for East Penn Schools would shift from Emmaus to the school district and become hired rather than volunteer positions under an ordinance introduced Monday to Borough Council.
Referencing a resolution that East Penn School Board enacted at its Oct. 9 meeting in which it requested to assume the hiring and oversight of school crossing guards for Jefferson and Lincoln Elementary Schools, the borough did a first reading of an ordinance that would do just that.
"We don't want to have anything to do with joint employer, so we can't manage them. We can help them with training. Just want to make sure we understand that, we don't want to expose ourselves to liability here."
Emmaus Borough Councilman Chris DeFrain
The ordinance notes that after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the borough only has four volunteer crossing guards on its roster and has been unable to persuade others to volunteer.
It would make the school district responsible for paying and staffing crossing guards in Emmaus.
Similar to Lower Macungie decision
Borough Manager Shane Pepe said it would follow a similar decision made for Willow Lane elementary in Lower Macungie Township last year, in which the township transferred responsibility while making payments to the school district.
Pepe said it's an administrative action, and the official agreement is in the works between the school district and municipality.
According to the ordinance, the Emmaus Police Department will help with providing needed crossing guard training for the street crossing procedures involved, but the school district will be responsible for any additional training, compensation and liability.
"We don't want to have anything to do with joint employer, so we can't manage them," Councilman Chris DeFrain said. "We can help them with training. Just want to make sure we understand that, we don't want to expose ourselves to liability here."
The proposed ordinance also lists that auxiliary police officers are able to be hired for this purpose.
Council President Brent Labenberg said the ordinance likely would be up for a final vote in the second November meeting, alongside a likely draft agreement.