Palmerton Area School District is inching closer to a full roster of crossing guards for its two downtown schools, Parkside Education Center and S.S. Palmer Elementary.

School board directors unanimously hired two more crossing guards Tuesday night, meaning it has staffed five out of the seven positions that were open headed into the school year.

The district has employment agreements with Linda Duyka, Ann Woginrich, Mary Ellen Rhoads, Kenneth Micsko and Zachary Raub.

“Adding two more tonight is great and we’re really excited about getting close to having the seven needed for a full staff,” Superintendent Dr. Jodi Frankelli said. “This is all about the safety of our students. It is of the utmost importance to us all.”

This is the first year the school district has been in charge of hiring crossing guards after Palmerton borough expressed concern over the difficulty it was having making sure all the spots were staffed every day. Borough officials said on-duty police officers were often tabbed to substitute when the regular crossing guards were unavailable, taking them away from other duties.

After the district had similar trouble finding crossing guards, parents took to social media calling for everyone from police officers to the mayor to teachers to step into the role.

“The mayor and I had a conversation today about the crossing guard situation and he gets it,” Frankelli said. “He’s aware of the issues that came along with trying to find crossing guards, which quite frankly is why the borough no longer wanted to do it in the first place.”

Frankelli called on motorists to be mindful of the fact students are crossing the street each morning and afternoon, and asked parents to make sure children are using the designated crosswalks.

“We’ve seen kids dropped off in random places, or parents waiting for them and crossing them in the middle of the road,” Frankelli said. “We really need to come together and make sure we’re parking in the appropriate spots, and using the existing crosswalks. It’s important to remember there are laws in place and if you’re using the designated crosswalks, motorists have to stop.”

Jamie Schuler, PASD assistant to the superintendent, said the district hopes to have a sixth crossing guard on the agenda for approval in October.

The crossing guard shifts run from 7:55-8:25 a.m. each morning and 2:50-3:20 p.m. each afternoon. Guards make $10 per shift.

Applicants must submit a support staff application, Act 34 Criminal, Act 151 Child Abuse and Act 114 FBI Fingerprinting clearances. Application materials can be found on the district website at www.palmerton.org under the human resources tab.