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Parents' fears as school lollipop lady is off sick
CHILDREN at a Gainsborough school really need to stop, look and listen – because there is no lollipop lady to stop traffic for them.
The lollipop lady at North County Primary School is currently on sick leave – and without a replacement schoolchildren have to cross busy Ropery Road on their own.
Some parents at the school were worried about their children’s safety while the road was unsupervised.
“We feel much safer when there is someone there to control things. I’d definitely prefer it if there was a replacement,” said Sarah Evans, 41, from Newlands in Gainsborough.
The children can use a pelican crossing to get across the road, which has reassured some other parents.
Shirley Morley, 49, from Nelson Street said: “I’m concerned about safety, but at least the children can press the button to go across. It would be better if the lollipop lady was there to supervise them.”
Kerry Spence, 30, from Morton, said: “Most parents bring their children so they will help them across the road. We got a few texts reminding us that lollipop lady is off and to be more aware.”
Road Safety Officer Pam Street confirmed that he lollipop lady is off sick at the moment., and added: “We would normally try to cover the vacancy with a relief, and we have an application that we are getting references for, but obviously a school crossing supervisor is a responsible post and we need to do necessary checks.”
“Obviously, there is a crossing still there. The school has advised parents that there is no school crossing patrol and it means that unfortunately, it falls entirelyto the parents to take responsibility for their children getting to school safely.”
Greville Burgess, Road Safety manager at Lincs Road Safety Partnership, said: “At the moment we are relying on parents and carers to help out while we try to find a relief.”
“Parents have to look at their priorities when looking after their children - we can't always guarantee to provide this service.
“We suggest that they call upon their friends or neighbours to help out, and to be assured that we are actively looking to find a replacement as soon as possible."
A North County Primary School spokesman confirmed the school had told parents about the possible safety risk and declined to comment further.
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Weather for Gainsborough
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 11 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 24 mph
Wind direction: East
