LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Nearly three weeks after a tragic crash killed a high school senior near Arbor View High School, a group of parents is still showing up each day to help students cross the street safely.
Isabella Martin spoke to those parents about their reason for doing this.
McKenzie Scott, 18, was hit and killed by a suspected drunk driver while crossing the street near the school earlier this month.
In the days that followed, parent Krista Holloway created Walk Safely LV, a grassroots effort to raise awareness about pedestrian safety and prevent another tragedy.
“I started the group, literally that Friday night, with a few other parents,” Holloway said. “By Sunday, we had sent out a call for volunteers to help.”
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Since then, Holloway and other volunteers have been acting as unofficial crossing guards before and after school, wearing vests and stopping traffic to help students cross.
“We won’t stop until this is fixed. Until there is a light,” she said. “Because the traffic is bad.”
Students say the concerns are valid.
“I live like five minutes away, and I always walk right here,” said Natalie Limon, a student at Arbor View.
“There was this one student that drove past the crosswalk and almost hit someone,” said classmate Donovan Williams.
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City officials confirm a traffic study is currently underway in the area. Once that data is collected, they’ll assess whether additional safety measures, like signals or signage, are needed.
While crossing guards are not typically assigned to high schools, the city is also conducting a pilot program at Cimarron-Memorial High School and Gibson Middle School to evaluate the need for expanding coverage.
For now, Holloway and her fellow volunteers say they’ll continue to stand on the corners each morning and afternoon, vests on, signs in hand, until real change happens.
“I love kids,” Holloway said. “I think they are our future, and we have to take care of them. We have to be responsible.”
