ORLANDO, Fla. -- As students and parents gear up for the start of the school year, Orange County is seeking to hire crossing guards.

And if enough guards are not hired by the time school begins, many children may be left to cross streets on their own.

The county said it has dozens of vacancies, including posts at Alafaya and Lake Underhill near Legacy Middle School; Avalon Park and state Road 50 at Castle Creek Elementary; and Pine Hills and Londenberry at Rolling Hills Elementary.

"If we don't have crossing guards for those areas, those kids will have to go by themselves," said Bertis Negron of the crossing guard unit of the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

When possible, deputies will fill in at the unmanned streets, but they could leave at any time on another call.

Officials said mothers make good candidates for the openings.

"I have a 9-year-old, an 8-year-old and a 5-year-old, so I do know the danger of them walking to school," said Josefina Lopez, who applied for a job and took part in a six-hour training course.

Orange County has 438 intersections that are manned with 300 crossing guards. The positions consist of 10 hours per week at an hourly rate of $9.25.

"We have retirement for crossing guards. We pay them for helping to recruit. They get an absence bonus, so we give them some little different perks," Negron said.

To apply, visit the sheriff's office Web site.