"LOLLIPOP" CUTS MAY PUT KIDS AT RISK
A STONEHAVEN lollipop lady has hit out at Aberdeenshire Council's plans to cut their hours.
Due to impending cutbacks crossing patrollers from all over Aberdeenshire could see their hours slashed from 18 to 11.5 per week meaning that they would be patrolling for half an hour less in the morning and in the afternoon.
Long serving lollipop lady Debbie Gilles says that she fears the move will endanger children's safety and is urging parents and other patrollers to take notice.
At the moment primary schools come out in two stages, with younger pupils arriving later and leaving earlier. However this is set to change as of August 18 when all classes start and finish at the same time.
This would leave Debbie, and her fellow patrollers, just 30 minutes to safely cross all the pupils. It would also mean that there would be no patroller at lunchtimes.
Debbie, who works at Dunnottar School said that she did not think the move would work.
She said: "I've been keeping a tab of how many children cross outwith the proposed new hours and this morning I counted seven in just ten minutes. This is not going to work. It's all fine until someone gets hurt but by that time it will be too late.
"I don't want to stay late and volunteer because I'm making a stance. It's also more than my job is worth because if someone is hurt they will turn to me and say 'you shouldn't have been there'. I used to not mind doing extra, such as sports day, but it's changed now. To stand in the wind, rain, cold and snow for eleven hours a week, every week, is not worth it.
"But it's not just for the money - it's the kids' safety as well."
Debbie added that parents and road users will need to be extra vigilant after the summer holidays. She said: "I want to make parents aware that when they come back after the holidays everything will have changed.
The drivers are going to have to take extra care too. I know several patrollers who have been hit by a cars - I've even been hit. We've had bumpers up to our legs and all sorts. If they can do that to us, looking as we do, are they going to notice a wee kiddie?
"People just don't pay attention. No one goes by the 20mph sign, not even the police station in the corner is a deterrent. Someone is going to get seriously hurt, because no one will be there."
A spokesman for Aberdeenshire Council said: "Due to the increased class contact time provision, whereby P1-P3s will get the same class time as P4-P7s - from 22.5 hours to 25 hours per week – schools which currently have dual start or finish times will cease this practice.
"The inevitable result is that some school crossing patrols will not be required to work all the hours they were previously - there would be no children to escort for part of their day.
"A consultation involving the crossing patrollers and unions is currently underway and as not all schools in Aberdeenshire have dual start and finish times, this is being done on a case by case basis as part of the formal process.
"There will be no changes to contractual arrangements until this process is concluded and the safety and wellbeing of children crossing the road will not be affected in any way."
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Weather for Stonehaven
Saturday 04 February 2012
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