Budget cuts have slashed the number of crossing guards that keep Nassau's children safe during the school year, according to the union representing those workers.

At one point, CSEA Local 830 says there were around 350 full-time crossing guards throughout the county. But around six years ago, the union says the Mangano administration, in an effort to save money, decided to hire part-time crossing guards instead.

The union says there are 180 full-timers left, along with 190 part-timers who make $17 an hour without benefits.

CSEA Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta says the part-time jobs are more difficult to fill, and police officers are often taken off their beat to work as replacement crossing guards instead.

He says that can prevent those officers from doing the important police work they were hired to do.

"We've had days where 60 or 70 officers were not in patrol and, instead, were on corners crossing kids," says Laricchiuta. "If something goes down, those officers can't leave. If there is a serious accident, or someone is having a heart attack or there's a robbery going on, they cannot leave the crossing. So what kind of management is that?"

Laricchiuta is calling on County Executive Laura Curran to give the part-time crossing guards a path to one day become full-time workers.

A spokesperson for Curran wrote that the union and the Mangano administration negotiated early retirement incentives for full-time crossing guards, and that's why there are fewer of them today.

The county executive's office also wrote that public safety is a priority and a recruitment campaign is being launched to hire additional part-time crossing guards, but there's no word on whether any more full-timers will be brought on board.