Newmarket recruiting crossing guards, as fewer returned this year

The pandemic may have contributed to the shortfall, public works acting director says

Newmarkettoday.ca
October 30, 2020

The Town of Newmarket is recruiting school crossing guards after many of them decided not to return to the job when school reopened this fall.

While there are currently enough crossing guards to cover Newmarket's schools, the town is hoping to fill additional positions so it remains that way, according to the acting director of public works services, Mark Agnoletto.

"We are communicating that to the public and the schools, as well as training some additional staff internally so we can continue to serve all these locations," he said.

As for what has caused so many crossing guards to turn in their stop signs, Agnoletto said various reasons were given, but he believes the pandemic was a factor.

"Traditionally, this job is done by an older demographic, and, as a result, there may be some circumstances where they didn't feel safe returning to duty during the pandemic. That may have contributed to the situation," he said.

You can find out more about the paid, part-time positions on the town's website.