Nothing is more important than keeping our children safe, especially when they are on their way to and from school. We sat down with Highland Elementary Principal Chris Trostad to hear about a new program to do just that: keep our children safe as they come to school and head home from school each day. “Safe Kids of Grand Forks informed me of a MnDOT Boost Grant. I wrote a Boost Grant, and we got $5200 to pay for school patrols.”
Principal Trostad explained where the school patrols would be stationed. “We are looking to put flag persons on the corner of Barrett and Central Avenue, which is a really busy intersection by Highland,” said Trostad. “Then, if you go a block north by the bus garage, I think that’s Third Avenue and Barrett; we are looking to have safety patrol there that will have a flag to go out with the stop sign.”
Trostad is now tasked with hiring flag persons. “We have hired one person already that you have seen probably on Barrett and Central, that started on Wednesday this week,” said Trostad. “We are looking to have flag personnel out there 7:35 a.m. to 8:05 a.m. and like 2:55 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. in the afternoon.”
Principal Trostad says his hope is to have some kids from the High School hired soon with the help of Linda Morgan from the Leo Club. It is Principal Trostad’s hope that getting people hired to patrol these corners will bring comfort to parents. “That will really help parents feel more comfortable about having their kids come to school.”
As always, the community needs to do its part to help keep our children safe. Drive safe, keep your phones hands-free, and be extra cautious in school zones.
