Head teachers across Derbyshire and Staffordshire have waded in after proposals were announced to look at axing some lollipop men and women.
It comes after school crossing patrol staff told how they feared children's lives could be put at risk if they were not there to help cross roads safely.
Both Derbyshire and Staffordshire county councils announced the plans to review the school crossing patrol service in their budgets for the next few years.
In total, there are 408 school crossing patrol staff, or lollipop men and women as they are traditionally known, employed across the two counties. All of the jobs could be at risk as new reviews get under way.
Both county councils say the reviews have been triggered by the need to save money, with Staffordshire facing its biggest budget shortfall ever next year of £35 million and Derbyshire looking to cut £12 million from what it spends on services this year alone.
Lollipop ladies in Rolleston and Stretton have said that, without their services, children could die, stating that lollypop staff are "easy targets" for funding cuts.
Deb Holland, the principal of The Pingle Academy in Coronation Street, Swadlincote, says that despite "severe" funding cuts, she and parents at the school would like to see the crossing patrol service retained.
She said: "Safety of children is of paramount importance and it is difficult to put a price on this safety on the journey to school.
"The severity of cuts in public services has seen pressure on essential services but parents and educators alike will see the importance of maintaining this service,
"We all want to be certain that our children are looked after on their journey to and from school and the crossing patrol staff have a vital role to play in that."
In Derbyshire, each of the 108 school crossing patrols earn £7.85 an hour and typically work for 40 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the afternoon, every week day during term times, and are paid the same monthly rate throughout the school holidays, earning around £2,198 a year.
This brings the total paid out in crossing patrol salaries in the county to more than £230,000.
The county council says it plans to save £300,000 through a review this year, more than it pays out each year on crossing patrol salaries, and will work with schools and communities to find "alternative sources of funding" for crossing patrols.
It has said that "different options" are being explored and a consultation would be launched ahead of any final decisions.
A county council spokesman said: "Like every council in the country we’re facing challenges because our funding has to stretch further than ever before and we're constantly looking at different and more efficient ways of working.
"We're looking closely at all our services and for some, this will mean the council taking a different approach in how they are run or funded in the future.
"One of the services we’re reviewing is school crossing patrols, and how they may be provided in the future.
"We're currently exploring different options but it is very early days and no decisions have yet been made.
"We would consult on any changes and make sure people had the opportunity to have their say before final decisions were made."
In Staffordshire, Trevor Sutcliffe is the CEO of the Central Co-operative Learning Trust, formed in November.
The academy trust comprises of John of Rolleston Primary School, Outwoods Primary, also in Rolleston, and William of Shrewsbury Primary in Stretton.
He said any reduction of funding for the service would "provide a challenge."
Mr Sutcliffe said: "As a trust, the safety of our children is paramount.
"Any proposed reduction in funding to this service would provide a challenge to all of the schools financially and we would urge the County Council to work with us to reach a solution that does not endanger the children."
Monthly earnings for a "lollipop lady" in Staffordshire are around £230, which adds up to £2,760 a year, and £828,000 for all 300 of the county's crossing patrols in total.
It says its review will begin in September 2019, and has forecast savings of £260,000 in this area next year, followed by £525,000 for each of the three years after.
The head teacher of Paget High School in Burton Road, Branston, Ian Brierly, has called the proposed cuts "the further erosion of our social support network".
He also feared that "dedicated" support would be lost on the school run, which had always helped prevent issues with youth offending and promote better attendance and mental health.
Mr Brierly said: "Ultimately this is further erosion of our social support network and another potential victim of the government's smoke and mirrors austerity policy.
"Local authorities have had budgets cut and cut consistently over the past seven years as the government seek to shrink local control in favour of a private service model.
"Social services have shrunk and, alongside other public cuts, I believe we are fast approaching a very toxic situation where we will see even bigger holes in the social infrastructure which are going to let down a lot of everyday people and create further disillusionment.
"From an educational perspective numerous roles have been removed from school support networks that would have assisted us with attendance, mental health, youth offending and such like.
"Cutting the dedicated members of our community - who do their job to give something back - will mean further support missing on the school run and no doubt schools will be expected to take up the slack."
Helen Fisher, Staffordshire County Council's cabinet support member for highways and transport, said the review would ensure that school crossing patrols were in force on the busiest roads – with no decisions made so far ahead of the consultation next year.
She says that areas which may lose their patrols will be supported by the council so that they can keep them.
Cllr Fisher said: "The employment of school crossing patrols, installation of push-button crossings, speed restrictions and road safety education are part of a range of measures aimed at helping parents ensure their children get to and from school.
"The planned review of school crossings will look at national criteria to ensure patrols are deployed on the busiest roads where it may be more difficult for pupils to cross.
"No decision on any locations have been made and we will continue to work closely with the patrols and schools during the review and implementation of any changes from September next year.
"We know that many communities value their patrols and in cases where locations don’t meet the criteria for a patrol we have supported communities who wish to still retain and fund one."
