Located in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, the Sheboygan Leadership Academy is comprised of 207 students ranging in age from four to 14. Now in its eighth year, the academy aims to inspire students to become leaders through their academic achievement, moral development and service to others.

Eight times a day. That’s how often students in kindergarten through fifth grade at Sheboygan Leadership Academy had to jaywalk across the street mid-block — once in the morning, three times both ways for recess and once at the end of the day. With the playground and parking lot on the other side of the street from the school, there wasn’t much choice.

To safeguard students, the teachers and recess aides kept lookout – wearing orange vests and wielding handheld stop signs – because there was no crosswalk, sign or light on that part of the street.

Using the crosswalk at the intersection to the west would mean crossing one of the busiest streets in town. And using the crosswalk to the east would mean walking in front of a bustling alleyway leading directly to a fast food restaurant, with the school building blocking visibility for both motorists and pedestrians.

Neither were viable options for packs of children eight times a day, so the jaywalking continued for years. Motorists frequently encroached on children’s space as they crossed, but the local police department was unable to issue tickets because the motorists weren’t breaking the law; after all, the children weren’t in a legal crosswalk. Something clearly needed to change before disaster struck.

A whopping 70 percent of pedestrian deaths occur at non-intersections, according to a study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).