Crossing Guard Back At High School After Student Hit By Car

Updated: 5:10 p.m.

RESTON, VA — Anne Rodriguez was back at her familiar post outside South Lakes High School on Tuesday afternoon, directing students and traffic during dismissal just hours after a 16-year-old student was struck by a vehicle while walking to school.

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Rodriguez, a Fairfax County crossing guard for 22 years who said she had worked outside South Lakes for at least three years, told Patch she was instructed Tuesday to return to the high school and resume her duties that afternoon.

Her return marked a rapid reversal at South Lakes after Fairfax County eliminated crossing guards at high schools as part of budget reductions. It was not immediately clear Tuesday afternoon whether guards had been returned to other Fairfax County high schools.

'The Crossing Guard Here At South Lakes Has Been Reinstated'

Fairfax County School Board Member Melanie Meren, who represents the Hunter Mill District and has been pushing the county to restore the guards, was outside South Lakes during Tuesday's dismissal.

"I think public interest has only been magnified, and outrage has been magnified," Meren told Patch. "It seems the biggest change is that the crossing guard here at South Lakes has been reinstated."

Meren said Rodriguez told her she had been directed to report to her former post. Meren said she did not know whether the same thing was happening elsewhere in the county.

Rodriguez said that before the cuts, she typically worked two hours in the morning and another two hours in the afternoon. Since school started, she had continued to go to her post at the nearby Langston Hughes Middle School but said she could not perform her former crossing-guard duties.

"The kids will watch looking at me like, 'Hey, the crossing guard,'" Rodriguez said. "Like, I can't do it."

Rodriguez said she was upset when she learned earlier this year that the county was eliminating high school crossing guards. She said she tried to find someone she could speak with about the decision but was told it had already been made.

During Tuesday's dismissal, Rodriguez pointed out the volume of buses and other vehicles moving through the area and the importance of keeping traffic flowing. At one point during the interview, she pointed to a vehicle moving in front of a bus and called it "an accident waiting to happen."

Meren said afternoon conditions differ from the morning commute because South Lakes' student drivers are leaving at the same time as walkers, bus riders and students being picked up.

Supervisors Seek Immediate Action

Rodriguez's return came after Supervisors Pat Herrity (R-Springfield) and Jimmy Bierman (D-Dranesville) asked County Executive Bryan Hill on Tuesday to immediately restore crossing guards at schools where the Fairfax County Police Department has identified significant problems, according to Herrity.

Herrity said the temporary action would remain in place while supervisors consider his proposal to restore crossing guards at certain high schools.

"This comes following a week of issues with kids getting to school safely, news that a student was hit this morning at South Lakes High School and residents doing what they can to address the issues," Herrity said in a social media post Tuesday. "We need to keep our kids safe while we receive information on which high schools should keep crossing guards."

Herrity said the issue will be considered as part of the county's 2026 Carryover Budget on Sept. 15.

Reston parent David Michaelson said he had been coming to South Lakes regularly since the second day of school to draw attention to conditions following the removal of the guard.

Michaelson said he wanted the county to restore the guards rather than rely solely on infrastructure changes.

"I don't want a bridge built. I don't want a tunnel dug. I don't want a stoplight," Michaelson told Patch. "I want the crossing guards back. That's it."

Seeing Rodriguez back Tuesday afternoon was welcome, he said, but he wants the change to be permanent.

"As long as it sticks," Michaelson said. "I'm glad that Ms. Anne's back here."

Student Hit Tuesday Morning

Rodriguez's return came hours after Fairfax County Police responded to a crash near South Lakes at 7:54 a.m.

Police said a driver struck a 16-year-old student who was walking to school. The teen was transported to an area hospital with minor injuries, and the driver remained at the scene.

Police emphasized that the student was neither in a crosswalk nor at a location that had previously been assigned a crossing guard.

The driver was charged with failure to stop before entering a highway, a traffic infraction punishable by a fine under the Code of Virginia.

Meren disputes the argument that a crossing guard would have had no bearing on Tuesday's crash, since it occurred away from the guard's former post. She told Patch that a guard at the established crossing helps regulate traffic farther along the road by periodically stopping vehicles.

Michaelson made a similar argument Tuesday afternoon.

"The flow is controlled right here," he said. "That's why you don't need two crossing guards at two intersections."

McKay Defends Decision To End High School Crossing Guards

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay (D-At-Large) defended the county's decision to eliminate high school crossing guards, saying in a statement to Patch on Tuesday afternoon that pedestrian safety remains a county priority and that officials will continue to consider additional safety measures.

"This is a community issue, and improving safety for our students, pedestrians, and drivers requires a community-wide effort," McKay said. "The Board of Supervisors will continue to evaluate what additional measures may be appropriate, both in the near and long term, to improve safety in partnership with Fairfax County Public Schools."

McKay also expressed concern for the student injured Tuesday and said he hoped for "a full and speedy recovery."

McKay emphasized the police department's finding that the student was struck at a location that had never been staffed by a crossing guard.

"To be clear, today's unfortunate incident at South Lakes High School occurred at a location that has never had a crossing guard, as confirmed by the Fairfax County Police Department," McKay said.

McKay said Fairfax County had been the only local jurisdiction providing crossing guards at high schools and said the decision to eliminate them was based on a "data-driven, professional safety assessment" by Fairfax County Police. He said supervisors approved the change 9-1 as part of the budget process this spring.

McKay also criticized Meren's handling of the issue, without identifying her by name.

"The BOS's budget was approved 111 days before the first day of school," McKay said. "A single School Board Member instead waited until Aug. 24 to highlight this issue on social media rather than working with both the school and county during this transition."

Meren told Patch earlier Tuesday that she began objecting to the removal of the remaining high school crossing guards during the previous fiscal year's budget discussions, describing the change as the culmination of a multiyear reduction in the service.

McKay also pointed to additional state funding FCPS received after the county adopted its budget. He said the school system received $26 million in additional recurring state funding and had discretion over how to spend it, including the option of using some of the money for high school crossing guards.

"I look forward to continuing to work with the community, FCPD, and FCPS to make meaningful improvements to pedestrian safety throughout Fairfax County," McKay said.

The Board of Supervisors had already ordered a review of the effects of eliminating high school crossing guards before Tuesday's crash. At last week's meeting, supervisors agreed that critical safety problems could be brought back to the board quickly while officials conduct a broader review.

During that meeting, McKay defended the original decision, saying that police had examined crash and pedestrian safety data and had provided individual high schools with recommendations to improve traffic flow and safety.

The issue moved more quickly Tuesday. Supervisors Pat Herrity (R-Springfield) and Jimmy Bierman (D-Dranesville) asked County Executive Bryan Hill to immediately reinstate crossing guards at schools where police have identified significant problems while the board considers Herrity's proposal to restore them at certain high schools.

Herrity said the public hearing on restoring crossing guards and the 2026 Carryover Budget is scheduled for Sept. 15 at 10:30 a.m.

By Tuesday afternoon, Rodriguez was again directing students and traffic outside South Lakes. She told Patch she had been instructed to return to the high school and resume her duties that afternoon.