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City of Mississauga rejects calls for crossing guard at area elementary school, parents say

This school year may be over, but parents from Tecumseh Public School in Mississauga say they're going to face the same safety problems for their children come September with no crossing guard outside the school.

Michelle Kalman has been pushing the City of Mississauga to create a safer intersection outside her children's school for three years.

"There have been so many close calls," said Kalman who lives across the street from the school on Chriseden Drive, which is located near Mississauga Road and the Queen Elizabeth Way.

"Cars just whip through this area, because it's not a designated crosswalk. They're not looking for students."

Natalie Nanowski CBC News
Natalie Nanowski CBC News

But children cross at that point on Chriseden, since the sidewalk dips down on both sides of the street. The only thing that's missing to make it a visible crossing is paint.

Parents 'not allowed' to act as crossing guards

The parents say their push for a crosswalk has been rejected for a third time. But when CBC Toronto reached out to the City of Mississauga for comment, it was told only that the matter is currently under review.

City inspectors have come to monitor the situation before and after school, and Kalman says they determined it wasn't busy enough to warrant a guard.

Beth Kostopoulos's three children attend the school and she won't let them or others cross that street alone. Just last week, she says, there was a dangerous situation when vehicles didn't let students through.

"One of the school buses that came out didn't stop and then there was a massive UPS truck that had come out of the school and they refused to stop as well," said Kostopoulos.

Kalman has suggested creating a volunteer parent group to act as crossing guards, but says the city told her that she's "not allowed."

"We're just trying to find a solution," said Kostopoulos, adding that even some paint to indicate that there's a walkway would help pedestrians and cars.

The Peel District School Board says while it supports any "community initiative that helps to ensure the safety and well-being of students and families," it doesn't regulate "the placement and operation of crosswalks."