Inman Needs Volunteer Crossing Guards

by Joel Markwell

Inman Middle School is one of the Grady Cluster schools in our neighborhood with active and engaged parents involved in the school and our community. A few years ago a group of those parents created a volunteer crossing guard program that has been working since then to make the paths to school safe for our kids and to keep the Virginia Ave and Ponce de Leon Pl/Park Drive corridors moving in a safe manner.

We know that our neighbors in the community also want safe streets, so in cooperation with APS and the Inman Staff we are looking for a few community volunteers to help us staff the four primary crosswalks around Inman.

The urgency of this need is illustrated by some close calls we have had resulting from aggressive morning commute drivers that include:

• Ignoring students in the crosswalk at Arcadia and the Virginia Ave corridor.
• Driving at a high-rate of speed through the school zone (even with heavy traffic).
• More than one case of drivers, frustrated at the slow pace between Barnett and Arcadia on Virginia heading West, actually pulling out into the ONCOMING lane of traffic and blowing through the Arcadia school crosswalk going at a high rate of speed during a red light at Park Drive. It’s only luck that kept students from being run down when a group of fours cars made this type of “dash” in that lane to get ahead of the right-turning cars into the school parking lot at Arcadia and cars waiting for students at the crosswalk. As stated I’ve seen this behavior twice in the last year.
• Passing on the right at the Virginia/Park Drive light heading West, again at a high rate of speed.
• Cars ignoring students at the Clemont/Park Drive crosswalk while negotiating the congested traffic there.

How you can help by volunteering as a crossing guard

Be a part of one of the most vital volunteer teams at Inman. With just a 40-minute effort each shift you can join parents and neighbors as Crosswalk Guards at Inman Middle School. We have been officially trained by APS and can train new volunteers quickly and we have an online registration system for requesting and posting assignments.

These 8:25AM to 9:05AM shifts are mornings-only at this time and are based entirely on your availability. Nothing’s easier or more important! Once a week or once a month, help when you can! Our volunteers tell us that there is no better way to start a weekday than guiding our wonderful students on their way to school. You will greet a hundred smiling faces and meet interesting and excited kids as they head to school each morning!

Whether you are a grandparent with family at Inman Middle School or just an interested neighbor, we are looking for a few new friends to help us out. Make Virginia-Highland better and safer, join us!

To find out more information you can email us at [email protected] or you can call and leave a message at 404-254-6985.

Help us keep them safe!

Joel Markwell
[email protected]
404-254-6985

Joel Markwell is the transportation representative for the Inman Middle School PTA.

Images courtesy Google Images.