PORT ORANGE, Fla. – Parents and people living near Sugar Mill Elementary School in Port Orange said they want to see additional crossing guards and police presence around the school after a fourth-grade student was hit while riding her bike to school.
Police said ShaoLan Kamaly, 10, was killed Friday just outside of the school.
News 6 spoke with the child’s family who provided pictures of her and said they want justice. They are supporting the other parents at the school asking for extra crossing guards and Port Orange police presence.
“This was the final straw to the parents, staff, PTA and everything,” said Rae Hill, a Sugar Mill Elementary parent.
Hill started a petition that already has thousands of signatures.
“The petition is for an officer or cross guard to be put right here at this location,” she said.
The Volusia Sheriff’s Office hires crossing guards, but Sheriff Mike Chitwood told News 6 the addition of a crossing guard at a particular location is up to the ‘School Crossing Evaluation Committee’ which is made up of county engineers, residents, school district members and others from the community.
The sheriff said the committee conducts studies and surveys on speed, traffic volume, traffic control devices and other factors before making that decision.
However, police said the accident last week outside of Sugar Mill Elementary happened near the driveway to the school and Chitwood said typically, they don’t have crossing guards at school driveways because there are stop signs.
The sheriff said surveillance video showed the driver likely breaking several rules, and it would have taken a lot more than a crossing guard to prevent it.
“She’s there at 7:08 dropping her kid off. She’s speeding through an intersection. It’s five miles an hour, there’s a stop sign, there’s a stop bar. She chose not to do that,” he said.
The sheriff said drivers need to follow the rules but admitted a new plan is needed to hold them accountable.
“I’m 19 school cross guards short now. Like everybody else, you can’t hire. So now, I think we have to sit down with the PTA, the school administration, with the city and come up with a plan,” he said, “The city’s going to have to take some responsibility, we have to take some responsibility here, and then we need parental responsibility.”