School officials said they couldn’t comment on the incident due to privacy laws.

When Brown first heard about it, he said the incident was an “eye-opener.” He’s since signed up as a crossing guard volunteer.

“I just felt that if a crossing guard in an orange vest holding a crossing sign can get hit, then a kid that is shorter, could get hit,” Brown said. “As a parent, you feel like it could be your child.”

Brown said it was important for drivers to notice when they’re in a school zone, follow the posted speed limit and to be aware of people moving about near the crosswalks.

“Mostly, it’s people just not paying attention to what’s going on,” Brown said.

Since the incident, the school has recruited volunteers on a weekly basis through an online sign-up to increase the safety of the crosswalks. The school provides additional safety vests and stop signs for parent volunteers to use.

Hawthorne Elementary Principal Cate Suit said they have parent volunteers almost every day to increase the visibility on the busy city streets around the school.

“My hope is that it increases the safety of both our students and staff,” Suit wrote in an email to the Chronicle. “It has also brought our Hawthorne community in as one part of the solution to our traffic and safe routes to school challenges.”

The school typically has two staff members at crosswalks on Rouse Avenue but only one on Lamme and Mendenhall streets, Suit said.

“With COVID last year, we had more parents than ever providing transportation for their own children vs. riding the bus, so we added coverage for our Mendenhall crossing last year,” Suit said.

Suit said the school resource officer is planning a basic traffic safety training in the next few weeks with the crosswalk parent volunteers welcome to attend.

There are many reasons for decreased speed in school zones, Suit said.

“We have so many young students who walk to school each day,” she said. “Because of their size, it can be difficult for them to see vehicles and for drivers to see them.”

Drivers should expect traffic delays around Hawthorne and other schools in town during the morning arrival and afternoon dismal times, with parked cars dropping students off and many parents using side streets to park and wait for students.

Suit said they do still have drivers attempting to go through a crosswalk before staff and students have safely crossed

“The safety of our students is our community’s collective responsibility, one that we take very seriously,” she said. “We deeply appreciate the efforts taken to drive with care through our neighborhood.”