Family pushes for national crossing guard recognition after father’s death
May 15, 2026, 11:07 PM | Updated: May 16, 2026, 4:45 pm
SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah family is honoring their father’s legacy by pushing for a national day of recognition for crossing guards, after he was killed while on the job in Layton last year.
Steven Winn, 67, was working as a crossing guard in January 2025 when he was hit by a driver after helping children cross the street.
He was known locally as the “Crossing Guard Santa” for his white beard and friendly presence.
“He loved what he did. He loved the kids. He loved the community,” his daughter, Lisa Winn, said.
Lisa said he had recently retired and had been working as a crossing guard for about three years.
Now, the family is working to raise awareness about the risks crossing guards face and to push for a national day of recognition on the National Day Calendar.
“We want to be able to honor his memory that way,” Lisa said.
An investigation by The Associated Press and Cox Media Group found that school crossing guards rank among the top five deadliest jobs in America.
“It’s not something that I think people understand is how dangerous it really is. They really are putting their life on the line,” Lisa said.
The Winn family initially submitted a petition to the National Day Calendar that was not accepted. They say that setback led them to expand their outreach.
“That’s when we started to put it out to the community and say, ‘Hey, can you help us make this a nationally recognized day?’” Lisa said. “We started a Change.org petition to ask for signatures. We reached out to different cities, different governments … safety groups, schools, to ask for letters of endorsement. And we submitted our petition again and got it accepted.”
Their efforts also led to Gov. Spencer Cox declaring January 28th, 2026 as Crossing Guard Day in Utah.
“It’s a community coming together to recognize what the crossing guards do for our community,” Lisa said.
The Winn family hopes the recognition effort not only honors Steven’s legacy but also encourages drivers to slow down near schools and crosswalks.
“The extra minute that you’re saving getting to work in the morning is not worth our dad’s life, it’s not worth a child’s life,” Lisa said.
To move forward, the effort still requires an official registration fee. The family is seeking support to cover the cost through their GoFundMe.
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