(Memphis) At 3 p.m., students at Hickory Ridge Middle School walked home while dodging cars along Ridgeway Road.
“Look at the kids running across the street right, now that’s dangerous,” one man said said. “They need some crossing guard up here or somewhere.”
Principal Cedric Smith has tried to fix the problem, but he can’t get any help.
So he got a whistle.
In the morning and afternoon he doubles as a crossing guard and parent Marcus Eaves volunteers his time to help him.
“The children need a crossing guard to cross the street. As you can see this is a busy intersection right here and drivers don`t always give courtesy to these children,” Eaves said.
They can only be at one spot.
So kids having to cross the road down the street do it alone.
That’s why Lavette Underwood walks her daughter across the street every day, but she worries about the kids whose parents can’t do the same.
“They need people out here to get the kids across the street and stuff like that instead of them just running across because accidents do happen,” she said.
The Memphis Police Department is responsible for putting crossing guards in place.
It does for elementary schools and some middle schools, but they don’t have enough guards to go around.
“All these cars coming flying, it’s really not right,” Hunt said.
Parents hope that changes soon before someone gets hurt.