Oakton High School could get permanent pedestrian safety improvements after Fairfax County cut crossing guards at all 10 county high schools under the fiscal year 2027 budget approved in May.

The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to vote on a $400,000 proposal to partially restore crossing guard funding as part of the county's annual carryover review. Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity requested the item, which would redistribute unspent funds from the previous fiscal year.

The money would cover only a fraction of the need. County officials told supervisors that restoring all 13 eliminated positions would cost about $900,000, according to Patch. The $400,000 is described as a placeholder for a more limited restoration.

The supervisors' May budget cut $1.89 million and 13 full-time crossing guard positions from the Fairfax County Police Department, FFXnow reported. Ten high schools lost guards: Annandale, Centreville, Chantilly, Edison, McLean, Oakton, South County, South Lakes, West Potomac and West Springfield.

Guards returned temporarily after a 16-year-old student was struck by a car near South Lakes High School on Wednesday, Sept. 2. Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay announced on Thursday, Sept. 3, that police officers and crossing guards would provide coverage at all 10 schools while officials evaluate conditions.

Oakton was not among the five schools county staff identified as having the most complicated traffic conditions. School Board At-Large Representative Ryan McElveen said Oakton received coverage out of an abundance of caution, according to Northern Virginia Magazine. A photo published by FFXnow on Aug. 27 showed Oakton students crossing Sutton Road amid traffic with no guard present.

Beyond the carryover vote, county officials said they are working with Fairfax County Public Schools, police and the Virginia Department of Transportation to evaluate individual crossings and consider permanent improvements. Those could include data-driven guard placement and new traffic signals.

One example is already in the pipeline. VDOT plans to build new traffic and pedestrian signals at Rolling Road and Grigsby Drive near West Springfield High School in 2029. Herrity said at a Sept. 2 Budget Policy Committee meeting that he is pushing to speed up that timeline, according to FFXnow.

"I've got West Springfield officers that say they hate having to do the overtime at West Springfield because it's too dangerous for them," Herrity said. "And [if] it is too dangerous for uniformed policemen to direct traffic, to me, it's too dangerous for our kids to cross."

Hiring has been another obstacle. The county received 235 crossing guard applications over the previous two years but made only 10 hires, officials said. The police department told supervisors in 2024 that the program had strained its staff, with 10 of 52 dedicated guard positions sitting vacant even before the cuts.

McKay framed crossing guards as only one part of the county's pedestrian safety efforts. The Board of Supervisors has committed $100 million over six years to walking and biking infrastructure, with more than $80 million already allocated.

Vienna-area state legislators have weighed in. Delegate Holly Seibold, whose House District 12 includes Vienna, sent a letter to McKay and the board on Sept. 1 urging immediate action to restore guards. Sen. Stella Pekarsky and Delegate Laura Jane Cohen sent a joint letter the same day.

The Board of Supervisors meets Tuesday, Sept. 15, at the Fairfax County Government Center to take up the $400,000 carryover item.