The safety patrollers on the scene in front of Mills Lawn Elementary on Tuesday, Sept. 2, were, from left, sixth-graders Francisco, Elyse, Amandine, Isaiah, Timmy, Roxanne and Ellie. On the ground is Luke. (Photo courtesy of Yellow Springs Schools)
Meet your local Safety Patrol
- Published: September 9, 2025
The Mills Lawn Elementary Safety Patrol isn’t just some ragtag group of youngsters wearing matching vests for a fashion statement.
They’re the sixth-grade crossing guards who take the safety of their friends and parents seriously, and who have a little fun along the way.
Every weekday morning at around 7:45 a.m. and afternoon at 2:30 p.m., drivers can spot these fluorescent Bulldogs from quite a distance, either in the street or on the sidewalk, waving flags to stop traffic and ushering folks across the road.
The Safety Patrol program has been a longstanding tradition for Yellow Springs Schools — at least since the early 1970s, as far as the News can tell — and enthusiasm has only grown. Program coordinator and fourth-grade teacher Jocelyn Bailey said that with 20 volunteers, this year’s crop may be the biggest ever.
In speaking with the News one morning, Amandine said she joined the ranks of Safety Patrol because she’s always had a penchant for safety.
Safety Patrollers in action. (Photo by Reilly Dixon)
“And I like being able to tell everyone to have a great day or a nice morning,” she said cheerfully as she donned her neon attire.
Isaiah said he doesn’t mind waking up early to report for Safety Patrol. In fact, like Amandine, he’s grateful for the chance just to be helpful.
His friend Timmy agreed: “I always want to help people, and since I’m a morning person with not a lot to do in the mornings, I thought, ‘Why not?’”
Francisco said he relishes one of the perks of the gig: the free donuts the Yellow Springs Police Department usually brings for him and his fellow patrollers every Friday.
“Unfortunately, that’s the only way we get paid,” Francisco chuckled.
Though these sixth graders came to Safety Patrol for their own different reasons, they all shared similar perturbances with the job — and not just the dread of cold winter mornings. In so many words, many patrollers said they wished drivers would exercise a little more patience during student pick-up and drop-off.
“I feel like people could pay more attention to the safety of not just their children, but the safety of other kids and parents,” Isaiah said, shaking his head.
Elyse added: “Some drivers just go without listening to anyone. They only care about getting their kid into school, and then they go off.”
Some of the erratic driving could stem from this year’s new traffic pattern in front of Mills Lawn. Not only is Short Street closed to traffic, but the ongoing school renovations pushed the main entrance to the gymnasium doors.
Patrollers Fransisco and Isaiah. (Photo by Reilly Dixon)
To accommodate those factors, Mills Lawn staff and safety patrollers ask parents and guardians dropping children off via car to do the following:
From Limestone heading north on Walnut: The first car should pull up to the crosswalk by the old main office doors. Continue to pull forward as space allows. Students may exit cars between that crosswalk and the north side of the Safety Patrol zone. Cars waiting south of the gym crosswalk must remain stopped until the safety patrol signals traffic to move again.
From Walnut heading south toward Limestone: Cars should pull forward to the stop sign. Once vehicles are stopped in a line, students may exit. Any cars north of the crosswalk must wait for the safety patrol before letting children out.
“It’s much more busy than it used to be,” Elyse observed, “But I guess it’s safer.”
Amandine was inclined to agree, and had this to say to parents: “Just try to be open with this new traffic plan. We’re trying to keep everyone safe.”
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