As of October 24, 2019, the 15th Police District had 107 school crossing guard posts, of which 21 posts were unfilled. Among the intersections that lack a guard is Large-Wakeling, where a vehicle passes every 4 seconds on average immediately before and after the former H. R. Edmunds school is in session. Some intersections, such as Castor-Dyre and Castor-Pratt, have been without a guard for longer than a year. Similar situations exist in other Police districts in Philadelphia. To fill the unfilled posts, qualified applicants are sorely needed.
A school crossing guard position offers steady, secure, part-time work with benefits. Pay exceeds $15 per hour. Guards work 7 to 9 a.m. and 2 to 4 p.m. when schools are open. As a civilian employee in the Police Department, a guard receives Civil Service benefits, such as paid time off (vacation and sick) and health insurance, and is eligible to earn retirement pay.
To qualify for training, an applicant for the position need not take a written test, but must undergo a physical examination, a drug test, background checks (for crime and child abuse) and a financial investigation (for money owed to the City of Philadelphia). Application is required to be done online.
To help reduce the shortage, the Northwood Civic Association has asked the 15th Police District to request that the Police Department increase advertising of open school crossing guard positions. Also, the Civic is encouraging residents to inform friends and neighbors of the need for qualified applicants. Most importantly, the Civic urges interested people to apply online as follows:
- Go to joinphillypd.com/index.php/civilian-careers. Click on the green rectangle, which will take you to www.phila.gov/personnel.
- At the bottom of phila.gov/personnel, under Quick Links at the bottom of the screen, click on Login / Create Account, which will take you to phila.peopleadmin.com/user/new.
- On phila.peopleadmin.com/user/new, click on the dark green rectangle. Create the account. Next, under Quick Links, click on Job Interest Notifications, which will take you to www.phila.gov/personnel/specs/JobInterestForm.html.
- On phila.gov/personnel/specs/JobInterestForm.html, type 6D44 in the Search rectangle, which will take you to a one-line description of Job 6D44, School Crossing Guard (B), including pay per day. Click on the 6D44 below Class Code, which will take you to https://www.phila.gov/personnel/specs/6D44.htm, where you can view a detailed job description. Close the SCHOOL CROSSING GUARD tab at the top of the screen to return to the one-line job description. Click on the feather pen at the right end, which will take you to https://www.phila.gov/personnel/specs/JobInterestForm.html. Fill out and submit the Job Interest Form. Next, under Quick Links, click on Civil Service Job Opportunities, which will take you to https://www.phila.gov/personnel/jobs/CivilServiceJobOpps.html.
- On https://www.phila.gov/personnel/jobs/CivilServiceJobOpps.html, click on Job Opportunities to see whether Job 6D44, School Crossing Guard (B), is listed as currently open. When an opening is announced, the City of Philadelphia will notify you via the email address that you provided on the Job Interest Form.
For questions about the hiring process, interested people are advised to call Captain’s Clerk Maureen Wharton of the 15th Police District at 215-686-3150. Ms. Wharton is a former school crossing guard.
