SAN ANTONIO – School zones across San Antonio are active as students head back to class, prompting police and crossing guards to remind drivers to slow down and leave early.
San Antonio police and crossing guards say speeding remains the most significant problem in school zones, putting children at risk as they walk and bike to campus.
Getting caught can be expensive. A school zone speeding ticket can cost more than $240 within the city, and more than $360 in Bexar County, officials said.
Crossing guards say they still have close calls even while wearing bright safety vests and using whistles and flashing stop signs.
“While the crossing guard is out in the street … motorists do pass the stop,” said Janet Sanchez, a school crossing guard supervisor with SAPD.
Sanchez said crossing guards have had moments when they were nearly struck by a vehicle.
Sanchez pointed to an incident earlier this week as an example of distracted driving near schools. While speaking with a guard, a driver ran over a cone set up at a crossing zone. She said this is a sign of motorists rushing or not paying attention.
‘The speeders are the teachers in the school zone, and they should be the example to the rest of the motorists around the schools,” she says happens sometimes.
Crossing guards are armed with paper and pen.
“They can take down license plates if the vehicle is speeding. They do write down a license plate number, make and model of the vehicle, the person, male or female, and turn it into the supervisor,” Sanchez said. “The supervisor then turns it into the safe officer, and they follow up on that,” she said.
Police statistics show the problem is widespread. Between August 2025 and May 2026, about 7,000 drivers received citations in school zones, with most tickets issued for speeding, according to SAPD. The next most common violations involved drivers using cellphones, followed by motorists who pass stopped school buses.
The city currently has about 250 crossing guards working around 28 elementary schools, but officials say they are still short staffed. The department is hiring and has 21 openings, with starting pay listed at $18 an hour for about two hours a day.
Sanchez said the job is open to a wide range of applicants.
“Whoever is looking to apply from age 18 to elderly,” she said, noting that crossing guards include grandparents and college students looking for extra pay.