Elyria Schools and the Elyria Police Department said they will continue to collaborate with parents and residents to improve student safety and reduce traffic during school arrival and dismissal times.
The safety of Elyria students and crossing guards was discussed at the Elyria City Council meeting on Tuesday night, when the head of the district’s crossing guards asked the city to do more to ensure safety and punish drivers who speed or refuse to stop in school zones.
Elyria Police Chief James Welsh said he increased school zone patrols on Wednesday after the meeting, but officers had been patrolling them since school started.
Dominic Carrion, of Lorain, is the head crossing guard for Elyria Schools, and he told Council that speeders were a problem at several schools, but he primarily focused on Hamilton Elementary School on Middle Avenue.
Middle Avenue has four lanes where it meets 13th Street, and Carrion says many drivers exceed the 20 mph school zone speed limit, and some even refuse to stop when guards and children use crosswalks.
“We have got crossing guards who do not want to work that corner,” Carrion exclaimed. “When they cross a child in the street and activate the caution lights, traffic does not want to stop. “They (the cars) speed through there.”
Carrion stated that crossing guards and children had nearly been struck several times since school began two weeks ago.
“One of these days, one of the kids is gonna get hit,” he told me.
Councilman Brad Armstrong, I-5th Ward, stated that he had been out to the school with Carrion and witnessed the speeding and refusal to stop himself.
“Two-thirds of the (Elyria police) Traffic Unit has been out there recently, but we do need more enforcement out there because it is highly disrespectful to the parents and children in that area,” Armstrong told the crowd. “I had a parent tell me, ‘Don’t care about that law.’ I care about that law, so I will definitely request more representation at Hamilton. Something has to give before — as he (Carrion) stated — somebody is hurt.”
Welsh said on Wednesday that he appreciated Carrion’s efforts and concerns, and that he had ordered more officers to patrol near Hamilton on Wednesday. However, he added that members of his department’s traffic unit had been present at Hamilton during busy times on the previous three school days: Thursday, Friday, and Tuesday.
“I want to make it clear that we have been patrolling Hamilton School, just like we have been patrolling all the other school zones,” Welsh told reporters. “We’ve been there at least once a day since school started. We will address speeding in Hamilton in the same way we do in all other zones, and I can assure you that Hamilton will not be pushed out of the rotation.”
Elyria police have had a dedicated Traffic Unit since 2023, and it was recently expanded to include three officers and cruisers instead of two. Welsh stated that members of the traffic unit rotate between different schools in the city during arrival and dismissal times, and that additional cruisers from other units are occasionally dispatched to schools to assist during these times.
“We have a regular rotation where we try to address all of the school zones regularly through the week, whether in the morning or at dismissal,” Welsh told me. “I believe we are doing an admirable job of directing our resources where they are needed. We’ve stepped it up because school has started. Every crossing guard wants us to be in their area, but it is simply impossible for us to visit every school in the city at the same time.”
The flashing yellow pedestrian signs that cross Middle Avenue away from the school do not require drivers to stop by law, but drivers must stop when a crossing guard approaches.
If there is no crossing guard with a stop sign, flashing yellow lights instruct drivers to slow down, be cautious, and proceed if no pedestrians are crossing.
Carrion stated that an increased police presence was effective in improving traffic compliance and safety near Ely Elementary School on Gulf Road.
Another issue for Ely Elementary is heavy traffic during pickup and drop-off on Gulf Road and Ohio Street.
On Wednesday, Elyria Schools and police announced a new traffic plan that they had developed together in an effort to alleviate traffic congestion and safety concerns.
Elyria police will only enforce the following rules during school arrival and dismissal times: no stopping or parking on Gulf Road, no left turns into the school parking lot from Ohio Street, and no left turns out of the parking lot onto Ohio Street.
The American Legion Post 12 on Gulf Road, directly across Ohio Street from the school, has agreed to allow parents to drop off and pick up students in its eastern parking lot off Gulf Road.
Welsh stated that police would first focus on educating parents and other drivers, but citations would be issued for violations.
“We are responding to complaints from the community to make the roads and, in this case, school zones safer, that’s what our mission and objective is and we are going to do that,” Welsh told the crowd. “We hope to not do it through issuing citations, but if there is not a partnership between the motorists, parents, schools and police department, it is going to result in more citations being issued.”
Elyria police and the school district collaborated to create a new traffic plan for Ely, which Elyria Schools Superintendent Ann Schloss says should make the process go more smoothly.
Schloss stated that since the COVID-19 pandemic, far more parents have driven their children to school than before, with fewer children walking or taking the bus.
She stated that a collaboration between schools, police, and parents was critical to getting children to and from school safely.
“We have crossing guards at the spots that are needed, but understand that not every child follows every sign and not every adult follows or knows the signs,” Schloss informed the crowd. “Slowing down is always a good idea when you see flashing lights or know it’s time to arrive or leave. We appreciate it when people take the time to help us keep our children safe in school zones.”
