LANSING - Soon students will be back to school, and with that, crossing guards will be back to their posts.

But before returning, crossing guards from Ingham, Eaton, and Clinton Counties were mandated to attend an annual training day held at the Dean Transportation Training Center on August 25th.

Approximately 80 new and returning guards learned about first aid, positive reinforcement methods, and proper crossing techniques.

The training varies from year to year.

"The adult crossing guard training that we hold each year is important because it gets the guards in the right frame of mind for start of the new school year," said Executive Director Suzy Carter, Lansing Area Safety Council. "A lot of these guards have been doing it for 20-30-40 years, but hopefully each year they learn a little something new about how to make their job a little easier and to be a little more effective with the kids and working with motorists. There’s a lot that comes to play for these guards while they’re on their post."

The State of Michigan also requires that the guards receive at least 2 hours of refresher training each year, 4 hours if they are a new guard.