Two Ohio legislators say they want drivers disobeying orders by school crossing guards to face stricter sanctions, and have introduced legislation creating two new related misdemeanors.
Under House Bill 690, introduced last week, drivers could face a first-degree misdemeanor for failure to obey, and for harassing, threatening or intimidating a crossing guard or interfering with their official duties. In school zones, during school zone hours, fines could be doubled.
During a news conference Tuesday morning, Rep. Tom Young (R-Washington Twp.) said the bill targets “somebody who makes a mistake twice, or ignores and doesn’t hurt anyone, but violates the zone.”
A similar bill, House Bill 203, increases penalties for a person who commits vehicular manslaughter or assault in a school zone. HB 203 has had three committee hearings but has not yet gotten a vote.
Rep. Andrea White (R-Kettering) said many school crossing guards are volunteers—some, retirees—who risk their lives for school-aged kids.
“We see far too many drivers, on many fronts, driving distracted, reckless, and in fact, overall defiant,” White said. “What we want to do with this bill is education, awareness and accountability.”
HB 690 is motivated by a national investigation by the Associated Press and Cox Media Group stations, including WHIO-TV in Dayton, White said. The investigation documented more than 230 collisions involving crossing guards over the last decade. Nearly three dozen were fatal.
Becky Evans, a school crossing guard with Franklin City Schools in Warren County, was hit in January 2025.
“It’s been over a year and I’m still dealing with medical issues,” Evans said Tuesday. “And she went on with her life like it was no big deal, it’s just really frustrating.”
It also establishes some immunity for crossing guards in civil lawsuits. HB 690 has yet to get its first hearing.
