The recent death of a student is putting the spotlight on school zone traffic safety.

A 12-year-old was struck last week while crossing the street in front of her middle school. Now, the community is looking for change by pushing for safer conditions like additional signage and traffic lights.

One week ago, Aunamarie Mahnken was hit by a car while walking home from school. Her walk took her right through a semi-busy area not unlike many others that surround schools across the state.

“It is life-changing. It is monumental. It is horrifying,” said Susan Bonnet, office manager at Bonnet Sales & Service.

That’s how she described the scene when Mahnken was hit while walking home from school last week. She has since passed away.

“I’m just hoping that we can all remember the name Aunamarie,” Bonnet said.

Bonnet and her crew at Bonnet Sales and Service work directly across the street from Central Square Middle School and immediately responded, comforting the 12-year-old in the terrifying and tragic moments.

“It was just an instinctual thing, when you see somebody in trouble, especially a child in trouble, you act,” Bonnet said.

The area in front of the middle school is considered a school zone, with a speed limit of 35 miles per hour, though there are no crosswalks, crossing guards or traffic lights to help slow and guide traffic on the busy stretch of highway.

“There doesn’t seem to be the desire to travel slowly up and down Route 11 on this stretch,” Bonnet observed.

While speed is not a factor in the incident, which is being considered by law enforcement as a tragic accident, it reflects a much larger issue.

“We’re not the only school that I’m sure these things happened with. This happens with buses and people flying by past the bus when you see kids. This goes probably so much deeper than this specific incident,” Bonnet said.

Areas across the state are cracking down on violations in school zones.

Many have implemented devices to monitor speed in school zones, including Oneida County just last week.

There has also been an increase of stop arm cameras to help enforce laws surrounding the passing of school buses. On Western Avenue in Albany, speed zones are 20 mph and enforced with cameras. 

Bonnet is now hoping steps can be taken to ensure something like this never happens in her community again.

“This is a school zone, a school zone, and those kids over there need to be kept safe,” she said.

And it’s not just Bonnet. More than 1,000 signatures on a change.org petition call for implementing safer speed limits and traffic-calming measures in front of Central Square Middle School.

And the state Department of Transportation says it has initiated a traffic study along the stretch of Route 11, where the accident occurred.

In addition to the advocacy efforts, the community is still supporting Mahnken's memory.

A memorial in her honor has been growing since last week filled with flowers, photos and a sign reading "pray for Aunamarie."