Orange recruiting crossing guards before start of school

Outfitted with stop signs and whistles, a clump of 14 potential crossing guards took turns trooping across a parking lot crosswalk at Orange County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday.

Orange County students will return to the classroom Aug. 14, but the sheriff’s office is still searching for about 50 people to help kids dodge distracted drivers and speeding vehicles, officials said.

Currently, nine elementary and middle schools lack enough guards, said sheriff ’s office spokeswoman Deputy Ingrid TejadaMonforte.

Wednesday’s trainees — and 15 more scheduled to train next week — are poised to help fill that void.

“It makes me a little nervous that we may not have enough people hired by the time school starts and the kids may go walking by themselves,” said Bertis Negron, school crossing guard coordinator. In that case, deputies would have to step in to shepherd kids across streets, officials said.

The sheriff’s office constantly needs crossing guards, she said; the program loses 30 to 40 employees per year and must have personnel to cover new elementary and middle schools as they crop up across the county.

Negron thinks the position’s odd shifts — an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon — may make it difficult to find new guards.

The sheriff’s office hosts monthly training sessions to fill openings. Recruits attend six hours of classroom and practical instruction, after which they take a 25-question final exam. Most pass, Negron said.

Starting Aug. 14, guards will be compensated $12.50 hourly, an increase from the current rate of $11.40. They can also receive bonuses and benefits such as life insurance and retirement.

“I just love the fact that I’m out there promoting the safety of our children,” said new trainer Damaris Febus, a crossing guard veteran of eight years.