Southside Independent School District officials are asking county and state leaders to fund sidewalks around its main compound, saying a lack of them is putting dozens of students at risk every day during the school year.
The district’s compound at U.S. Highway 281 and Martinez Losoya Road includes Losoya Middle School, Pearce Elementary School and Southside High School. Southside Stadium and Southside High School Baseball Field are also located within the complex. Over 2,800 students were enrolled at the three schools as of the 2022-23 school year, according to Texas Education Agency data.
District spokesman Randy Escamilla said the lack of sidewalks was less of an issue before the growth in the region, which has led to both more cars on the road and more students crossing and walking alongside them. And the problems will only get worse as the area continues to experience record-breaking growth.
Southside’s enrollment has increased from just over 5,000 in 2013, according to TEA data, to more than 6,000 students in the next school year, a high for the district.
“It’s becoming more of a serious issue as we see our population grow,” Escamilla said. “And, thank God, we have not had any injuries. We’re very grateful for that, and we don’t want any injuries.”
Students who live in close proximity to the complex aren’t eligible to ride school buses, Escamilla said, so some are left to walk to their campus without pedestrian safety measures like flashing crosswalks or crossing guards.
The Southside ISD Board of Trustees passed a resolution calling for sidewalks to be funded by Bexar County and the state on June 21. During that meeting, Julian Monreal, Southside ISD’s director of operations, said the district was unable to pay for the sidewalks under state law. The areas discussed are also not on district property.
Monreal said the estimated costs for the project is about $500,000.
The day after the board passed the resolution, officials from Southside ISD met with representatives from the offices of Bexar County Commissioner Rebeca Clay-Flores (Pct. 1), Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai and the Texas Department of Transportation to map out the process of determining if sidewalks are a viable solution.
A video played in that meeting shows students dodging cars as they dart across the road, nearly missing oncoming traffic. Others walked along a thin patch of grass near the highway as cars whizzed past.
Stray dogs also can be seen weaving in and out of the traffic, narrowly missing oncoming cars in the video, which was reviewed by the San Antonio Report.
In the meeting with local and state officials, the district proposed installing crosswalks on Martinez Losoya, Escamilla said, but was told they could not do so without sidewalks on either side.
In the short term, the district will station a security guard to help students cross the street as safely as possible until more is done.
Sakai was not available for comment last week, but a spokesman confirmed the judge met with the groups and said that “he’s supporting the efforts to bring people together [to] work toward a solution to keep the this part of the county as safe as possible.”
When the school year starts in August, TxDOT will conduct pedestrian and traffic count studies along U.S Highway 281 and adjacent streets and the group will reconvene in November to review the findings.
State Sen. Roland Gutierrez (D-San Antonio) and state Rep. John Lujan (R-San Antonio) have written letters in support of the sidewalks.
Gutierrez wrote that “it is unsafe for students to have to walk on grass or rush across a busy road … to get to their parents for pickup” and urged TxDOT and Bexar County to fund the sidewalks. Lujan, who lives in the area, echoed the sentiment, saying “we shouldn’t have to wait for there to be an incident, or worse, to do the right thing. The time to act is now to ensure our students can access school buildings in a safe manner.”
Other steps, including sharing safety best practices with students, will be discussed with students when the school year starts, Escamilla said.
Superintendent Rolando Ramirez said in a statement that he was hopeful after attending the meeting and receiving support from officials.
“In the interest of children’s safety, we remain hopeful that the State of Texas and Bexar County will find a solution to this issue,” he said.
