One teacher says he got tired of hearing about kids getting hurt in accidents while crossing Schaefer Road near Riverside Academy in Dearborn, so he took action.
Zachary Pfleghaar posted a petition on Change.org asking for school zone signs to be put in front of the school.
“God forbid one of my students get hit and lose their life,” said the English teacher.
He says there is no crosswalk right in front of the school, and, even though they shouldn’t, it isn’t unusual for kids to jaywalk.
His petition explains:
The closest crosswalk is over 600 feet away at the corner of Haggerty St. and Schaefer Rd, but many of the students often visit Hemlock Park, which is less than a block away in the opposite direction from the crosswalk. There are currently no signs alerting motorists a school is present nor are there any crosswalks for the students to safely and expediently travel to Hemlock Park. Last year, one of our students was struck by a car and was fortunate enough to walk away with minor injuries. However, two Fordson High School students were not quite as fortunate. Two students were struck and sustained severe injuries.
When 7 Action News arrived at the school to help get word out about the petition, we learned Dearborn Police decided to take action.
“We received word today from the City of Dearborn and Dearborn Police that we are going to receive school zone signs,” said Principal Ramzi Saab.
Dearborn Police School Resource Officer Adel Saleh is coordinating the effort to get signs.
“We all know Schaefer is a busy road and that is hopefully going to make people aware there is a school there,” said Officer Saleh.
It also leads to more severe penalties for drivers who violate traffic laws.
Officer Saleh warned drivers who choose to speed in front of schools that the number of officers assigned to keep schools safe in Dearborn almost doubled due to a grant. Their job is to keep kids safe in and around schools.
“I want to thank everyone who was involved, the city, police department, the teacher who started the petition, everyone who signed it, and you - the media,” said Principal Saab.
Police say the signs are on order and will be installed in coming days or weeks.
