Council approves renewal of crossing-guard contract, keeps Etheridge/Friar post after residents raise safety concerns

The Colony City Council on Jan. 7 approved a renewal of the city’s contract with All City Management Services for school crossing-guard services for the 2024–25 school year and amended the approval to retain a crossing guard at the Etheridge/Friar intersection for the remainder of the school year.

The action came after a presentation from Chief Vauxhall of the Colony Police Department explaining the scope and cost drivers of the contract and after a resident, Anna Peters of 4113 Gardner, urged the council to keep the Etheridge crossing guard, citing the vulnerability of younger students and observed driver behavior.

Chief Vauxhall said the city contracted with All City in June 2018 to manage crossing guards because in-house management created operational burdens for on-duty patrol supervisors. He told council the contract as originally submitted would have cost roughly $340,000 for the current fiscal year, and after city review and adjustments the proposal under consideration was reduced to about $175,000. The chief described several reasons for adjustments: some school districts pay teachers to cross students, several stops had duplicated or outdated hours, and some posts were no longer needed because schools closed or patterns changed.

Resident Anna Peters, who identified herself as living at 4113 Gardner, opposed eliminating the Etheridge crossing guard and described children’s size, distracted older siblings, and driver impatience as reasons the post should remain. “I am firmly opposed to the decision to stop having a crossing guard there,” Peters said. She also said families use the crossing guard as a daily confirmation that children arrived home safely.

Councilmembers asked about alternatives and timing. Councilmember Holtz moved to approve the contract renewal with a revision to retain the crossing guard at Etheridge/Friar; Councilmember Schrock seconded. The motion passed.

The chief clarified that some locations in the city are serviced by Little Elm ISD teachers and that the Colony historically provided more crossing-guard locations and hours than comparable cities; his presentation listed 19 locations the program had been servicing and identified several sites recommended for elimination. He also said the contract is organized by school year and that staffing and location decisions will be revisited over the summer ahead of the 2025–26 school year.

The council’s action preserves the crossing guard at Etheridge/Friar through the remainder of this school year; the city will reassess routes and staffing before the next school year begins.

Votes at a glance: the council approved the contract renewal with the Etheridge/Friar exception; the record does not show a roll-call tally in the transcript excerpt.