Eight parents are staffing crosswalks near Endeavor Elementary School each morning in West Chester Township. They stepped in after Lakota Local Schools pulled aides from off-campus intersections at three elementary schools two days before the school year began in late August.

Rob Long, father of two Endeavor students, organized the volunteer group after learning the district would no longer station aides at crosswalks on public roads. He volunteers at Smith Road and Bar Harbor Way, about 500 feet from the school, a spot he called particularly congested during drop-off.

"I just couldn't stand by and watch the children have to navigate these streets alone," Long told WCPO in a Sept. 3 report.

Long said anger over the late notice drove him to act. He said he channeled that frustration into recruiting the eight-person volunteer team.

Lakota said in a statement that staff aides are not certified crossing guards and lack the training and authority to direct traffic on public roadways. The district cited staffing, jurisdiction, liability and operational concerns. It called the issue an ongoing discussion that began in fall 2025.

The district has not named the other two affected schools.

Endeavor serves grades 3 through 6 and enrolls about 740 students. Long said many of those children lack basic pedestrian skills after years of adult-directed crossings. Over the first weeks of school, he said, students have grown more confident crossing on their own.

Long said he contacted Superintendent Ashley Whitely, the Butler County Engineer's Office, West Chester Police, the Butler County Sheriff's Office and Liberty Township seeking a coordinated response. No agency has commented publicly.

"Everyone just has one piece of the puzzle, and there's no one bringing everyone together," Long said.

He also discovered that Lakota's school travel policy has not been updated since 2008. Long pointed to Kettering's Cross Safe program, where school and city leaders meet monthly with police to discuss pedestrian safety, as a model the district could adopt.

Pedestrian safety near Lakota campuses drew scrutiny after the May 2024 death of Lakota East freshman Aspen Runnels, 15, who was struck by a driver while crossing the intersection of Bethany Road and Liberty Court near the freshman campus. A Butler County grand jury later charged the driver, Kaitlyn Hyde, with vehicular homicide, alleging she looked away from the road to adjust her baby's pacifier.

Lakota last accessed Ohio Safe Routes to School grant funding in 2010. District officials said previous leaders found the grants too limited for a district Lakota's size. Ohio DOT awarded $8.8 million in new Safe Routes grants statewide in August 2026, according to the AASHTO Journal. Whether Lakota sought funding in that round is unclear.

The district said it is working with local law enforcement, township leaders and county engineers on a long-term solution. No timeline or next meeting date has been announced.