I'm Sure This Makes Sense To Someone

What, exactly, is the point of crossing guards? All elementary schools have crossing guards nearby. I suppose the point is that kids don't get run over.
Driving past any high school it's patently obvious that it doesn't teach kids how to cross a road safely.
When I was a kid, other kids were crossing guards (usually sixth-graders). They'd make a few kids wait, then make the cars wait to let them cross as a group. When they went off to junior high school, I don't recall any kids getting run over. And the Grade Six crossing guards were cheap.

Near the school where I work, there is also a public and a catholic elementary school nearby, and so paid crossing guards in their little uniforms are everywhere. This year, I have yet to see a crossing guard assist an unescorted child across a road. The only kids I have seen cross at a supervised crosswalk have been with their parents. And, of course, the crossing guard will dive out into the road long before they get to the intersection, so that they don't have to stop or look which I'm sure will teach them valuable safety lessons for years to come. Of course, the irony is that the busy intersections have no crossing guards and kids are left to their own devices.

The stupid part of crossing guards is that, with rare exceptions, they help mothers cross roads pushing infants in strollers or cyclists that should be obeying stop signs and shouldn't be on the sidewalk anyway.

And how much money does this cost in a year? No wonder we're in debt.