TULSA -- An elementary-aged child was hit by a car while crossing a busy intersection on the way home from school.
McKinley Elementary sits just a tenth of a mile from Sheridan on King Street. Principal Lynette Dixon said about 60 students have to cross Sheridan to get home.
The school has a crossing guard right in front of the school but does not have one at the intersection where the student was hit. Dixon said she has tried to have the crossing guard moved but was told the intersection he is located at is busier.
Dixon said the boy sustained minor injuries.
The school held an assembly for parents and students the next day to let them know what happened. They asked if anyone would be willing to volunteer to get the kids safely across Sheridan.
"I stood up and said if you can get all your kids together, I'll cross them across the road," Nicole Anguiano, a parent of two McKinley students, said.
Anguiano said her two boys take the same route home and she does not feel comfortable with them walking across the busy street.
Since Thursday, she has driven from her house, parked in a parking lot near the intersection of King Street and Sheridan and walked to the school. She was even given an orange vest.
Anguiano said the school rounds up the "Sheridan walkers" and she escorts them down the road.
Principal Dixon is trying to work something out for the "Sheridan walkers" because this is now the second student to get hit by a car in the last three years.
After the last child was hit, Dixon said the city put up flashing lights, in hopes of slowing down drivers. It has not been enough.
"I actually talked to the police the day of the incident and they said because of budget cuts they do not have anyone who can come out here," Dixon said.
The City of Tulsa is responsible for crossing guards. A representative said they work with Tulsa Public Schools to prioritize which intersections need crossing guards. The city also said they have been cutting back on the number of crossing guards.
Neither the City of Tulsa nor TPS said they knew about a child being hit by a car this week.
Anguiano said she is glad to help because it is very quick and she is there anyway picking up her sons.
"It takes no time," Anguiano said. "Five or ten minutes. Five minutes to get out of the school to gather them up. Five minutes to get them all across the street."
Dixon asks if anyone in the community would like to help the students get safely across Sheridan from 2:30 p.m. until 2:45 p.m. to contact the school.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
Download our free app for Apple and Android and Kindle devices.
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox. Select from these options: Breaking News, Severe Weather, School Closings, Daily Headlines and Daily Forecasts.
