Longtime San Jose crossing guard sets high bar for new recruits

SAN JOSE — In addition to pedestrian deaths being at a 25-year high, San Jose is facing a severe shortage of school crossing guards to keep kids safe at busy intersections near schools.

When children cross the street in front of Trace Elementary School in San Jose, it’s Francisco Silva-Tellez giving them safe passage.

Francisco seems to have eyes in the back of his head, and a sixth sense for safety as a city crossing guard assigned to Dana Street.

The short but potentially dangerous stretch has been under his watchful eye for the last five years.

“Every day, every day, I enjoy it,” Silva-Tellez said.

And the kids recognize a good thing when they see it.

“Mr. Francisco is very nice, and I like how he crosses me and my family,” said 5th grader Alina Cortez Chursin.

“He is the best crossing guard I could ever have for six years of my entire life of being here,” said Dominic Dorrego, also a Trace Elementary 5th grader.

As for the parents? Francisco’s exploits are becoming the stuff of legends.

“This is not just any crossing guard,” said grandparent Ed Hodges. “I’ve seen him guard this intersection from cars that tried to get through. I mean literally tried to get through. He put his foot on the bumper and held his hand out like this. He was like, ‘Not on my watch!”

That’s not just talk.

“You need to move, you need to move. It’s a red zone, you need to move. Sorry,” Silva-Tellez said spotting trouble when a parent tried to park too close to the crosswalk.

Responding with a firm but respectful tone is something Francisco perfected over a lifetime of experiences.

He’s a former Mexico City Policeman and a graduate of Mexico’s top polytechnic university. He immigrated to the U.S. in the 1980’s and is now a U.S. citizen.

But because of an earlier language barrier, he could only find jobs as a laborer. A construction career led to 5 back surgeries, two knee replacements and just this year, two heart attacks.

Now, semi-retired at 62, he’s still on his feet everyday.

“You have to serve the community. You have to do something. It’s why I like it. I like it!” Silva-Tellez said.

The manager of the school safety program says more people like Francisco are needed. San Jose is down 79 crossing guards from pre-COVID levels, forcing the city to leave 21 previously guarded intersections unstaffed for the first time in years.

“We are concentrating on recruitment.  We need to hire more guards,” said Michelle Barte of the San Jose School Safety Dept.

To fill the gaps, and until more guards can be hired and trained, all crossing guards are working double duty, moving from school to school in the mornings and afternoons.

Francisco says wants to keep on guarding as long as he is physically able.

“The safety of the children, that’s the most important thing,” Silva-Tellez said.

So he’ll continue to be the first person to greet the students when they arrive at school in the morning and the last to say goodbye.

He says he gets as much back from them — if not more — than he gives.