The Moline Police Department needs crossing guards at several schools in the city.

The department manages the school crossing guard program, which supervises 20 crosswalks, mostly near elementary schools within the city. Finding enough crossing guards has been a challenge since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. As the 2023-24 school year starts, they have the lowest guard staff in their history. They began seeing significant workforce shortage starting in March 2020 through February 2022, when they lost 48% of the guards through resignation.

The police department hasn’t been able to restore adequate staffing to ensure all 20 posts have crossing guards. Challenges to hiring staff include short hours with split morning and afternoon duties and pay. Crossing guards earn about $3,400 per school year.

Parents and guardians should be aware that the number of crossing guards will be limited if adequate staffing isn’t located. They’re encouraged to review children’s routes to school, including the roads and crossings they will travel to determine if everyone is comfortable with the arrangement or if alternatives must be considered. Metrolink provides free bus service for K-12 students and school routes are available by clicking here. The city and the school district have been working on the crossing guard shortage but have not been able to resolve the staffing crisis.

Four high priority intersections that have guard vacancies are:

Hamilton 7th Street/32nd Avenue

Logan 25th Street/18th Avenue

Washington 1550 41st Street

John Deere Middle School 12th Street/21st Avenue

To solve this crisis, the city needs to hire nine guards before August 25. Anyone interested in becoming a school crossing guard can call Human Resources Specialist Elizabeth McKenzie at (309) 524-2065 or click here for an online application.