Many longtime Sacramento-area crossing guards are losing their jobs

Melanie Townsend reports

GUARDS VERY SAD AND VERYCONFUSED AND ULTIMATELYWITHOUT A JOB.FOR MORE THAN 3 DECADESCHRISTINE MARQUESE WATCHEDUNPROTECTED CHILDREN CROSSINGTHE BUSY STREET ACROSS FROMELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

SHE WASEVEN HONORED FOR HERDEDICATION.FOR ALL THE YEARS AND I'VEBEEN A CRIME GUARD.

I HAVE ABUT THE JOB SHE LOVED CAMETO AN ABRUPT END WHEN HEREMPLOYER AT JNJ SPECIALSERVICES CENTER A LETTER INJUNE STATING THEIR CONTRACTWITH SACRAMENTO AND ELK GROVEAREA SCHOOLS WHEN NOT BERENEWED DUE TO COVID-19 HERFRIEND JOE BLATTER WHO HASORANGE PEEL OPEN SCHOOL FOR 5YEARS SAYS SHE WAS ALSOSHOCKED TO RECEIVE THIS LETTERAND DECIDED TO WRITE BACK.BASICALLY I SAID IUNDERSTAND, BUT I DON'TUNDERSTAND.I KNOW THAT PROBABLY FORYOU IT HAS TO DO WITHFINANCIALS BUT WHAT ABOUT ALLDOWN.I DON'T THINK ANYBODY KNOWSTHAT THEY'RE NOT GOING TO HAVECROSSING GUARDS AND THAT'SGOING TO IMPACT A LOT OFPEOPLE.AUTUMN IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLELEMENTARY SCHOOLS WITHOUT ACROSSING GUARD COME THE FALLSOMETHING THAT WEIGHS HEAVY ONTHE MIND OF CHRISTINE'SHUSBAND AND FORMER SUPERVISORAND PEOPLE DO THINGS FOR THEIRREASONS THAT SOMETIMES WEDON'T KNOW, SO YOU RESPECTTHAT, BUT AT THE SAME TIME.IT'S LIKE.GOING DO DO THEY EVEN KNOWABOUT IT REMARK.

HE SAYSTHEY'RE NOW 25 CROSSING GUARDSSOME OVER THE AGE OF 70 WHOARE NOW UNEMPLOYED FOLLOWINGAN ALREADY DIFFICULT SCHOOLYEAR.SO AS WELL AS.

IT BEINGSOMETHING THEY'RE SERIOUSABOUT.

IT'S AN EXTRA INCOMETHAT THEY KIND OF RELIED ON.WE CONTACTED THE 4 SCHOOLDISTRICTS MARQUESE SAYS JJ ISCONTRACTED WITH SAN JUANUNIFIED SAYS THEY PARTNEREDWITH JAY AND JAY TO PROVIDECROSSING GUARDS AT HIGH RISKINTERSECTIONS.

THEY WERENOTIFIED BY THE COUNTY LASTMONTH OF THE POTENTIALSHORTAGE ELK GROVE UNIFIEDALSO CONFIRMED THIS LATESTCHANGE SAYING THEY WERE TOLDTHEIR CONTRACTS WOULD END DUETO A LACK OF STAFFING.

AND ITIS NOW UP TO THEM TO PROVIDECROSSING GUARDS AT 11DIFFERENT SCHOOLS.

WE DID NOTRECEIVE CONFIRMATION IF THESAME WOULD HAPPEN WITH SACCITY UNIFIED OR TWIN RIVERSSCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE PRIORITYIS TO MAKE SURE.WE'RE STILL HERE AND THISIS SAFETY OF THE CHILDREN.

BADTO SHOULD COME FIRST FOR THESECANDIDATES.THAT'S SOMETHING I ALSOWANTED TO POINT OUT TOEVERYONE WHO IS WATCHING AS IDID CALL JNJ SERVICES ACTUALLYMULTIPLE TIMES THIS AFTERNOONBUT EACH AND EVERY TIME.

ITWENT STRAIGHT TO VOICEMAIL.LIVE HERE JUST OUTSIDE OF ELKGROVE HIGH SCHOOL MELANIE