Anne Frank School
at a crossroads

By Diane Prokop
Times Staff Writer

An accident in which a brother and sister were struck by a car on their way to the Anne Frank Elementary School has parents demanding a crossing guard at Lott and Hoff streets, near the Bustleton school.
According to police, one child suffered a broken wrist while the other suffered a broken thighbone in the Jan. 8 accident.
No charges have been filed against the driver, but the incident remains under investigation by police.
Capt. Joseph Zaffino, commander of the 7th Police District, heard parents’ pleas and requested a crossing guard for the corner on the same day as the accident. While crossing guards fall under the jurisdiction of police, not the School District of Philadelphia, it’s not that easy for police to station a crossing guard at a corner that is not designated for one.
"Some parents were under the impression that I could just place a guard there. They were misinformed," Zaffino said.
According to the captain, he has the ability to move crossing guards between designated corners; however, he doesn’t have the authority to authorize a designated corner.
Generally, a request for a crossing guard at a specific corner is followed by a survey.
"We look at the amount of children using the crossing, also the pedestrian count, vehicle count, what type of traffic there is, traffic lights, stop signs, etc.," said Sgt. Tara Holmes, supervisor of Philadelphia school crossing guards.
However, for the corner where the recent accident happened, adjacent to the Anne Frank Little School House building, Holmes won’t need to survey the corner.
"I’m taking the captain’s word," she said.
Holmes added that her office was unaware of the addition of the Little School House building to the school property about 10 years ago.
"I personally didn’t even know about it," she said. "It wasn’t brought to this office’s attention. All I know is as soon as we can get a crossing guard for that location, we’ll put one there."
Anne Frank principal Ellen Cooper told parents that this wasn’t the first time a guard was requested for the corner.
Cooper did not return repeated phone calls but deferred comment to the school district.
School district spokesman Fernando Gallard said Cooper confirmed she had requested a guard a few years ago but that she could not recall the name of the person to whom she made the request.
Regardless, funding will determine how quickly the principal and parents will see a guard at Lott and Hoff streets.
Holmes couldn’t give a timeline. While there is funding allocated for more than 900 crossing guards citywide, she explained there is also a wish list for guards at about 300 more corners.
"Additional funding is needed before more guards can be considered," Holmes said.
In the meantime, Zaffino, who met with parents at the school on Wednesday morning last week, has promised strict enforcement of traffic laws at school opening and dismissal times.
Anne Frank kindergarten parents, who stood outside the Little School House entrance in the cold drizzle one day last week, agreed that parents often make the safety situation worse. While they chatted, Zaffino and a patrol officer chased parent after parent away from blocking crosswalks and beeped double-parkers.
"Some of the parents need to park and walk like we do," one mom said.
Debbie Shaw, who has a son in kindergarten at the school, has noticed the police presence.
"I do see a police officer circling," Shaw said, but she hopes that a guard will be stationed there soon. ••
Reporter Diane Prokop can be reached at 215-354-3036 or dprokop@phillynews.com