A group of children and parents braced the chilly weather on Monday to hold an outdoor dance party in support of a west-end Toronto crossing guard known for her impromptu on-duty dance routines.

Kathleen Byers -- who has been helping students at Alexander Muir/Gladstone Avenue Public School cross Dufferin Street for almost 10 years -- was told last week by Toronto police to stop sashaying across the road while wearing her reflective vest.

"When I first heard about it, it felt like a lost my right arm because it's not me," Byers, a former fitness instructor and mother of six, told CTV Toronto.

Since learning she may have to hang up her dancing shoes, the 64-year-old crossing guard has received an outpouring of support.

That support continued on Monday at the corner of Dufferin and Gordon Streets, where students and parents danced on the sidewalk.

"I cross the road everyday with my son who's five and safety has never crossed my mind as a concern," a local mother said.

But police say Byers' dancing sends the wrong message to children.

"We need to make sure that when a crossing guard is engaged in their duties, they're focused on 110 per cent on their duties because really, in the end, it's about the safety of the children," Const. Clint Stibbe said.

Byers said she plans to continue being crossing guard with or without music.

"I know what I've done and I've done a bang-up job and I care about the kids and I enjoy my community and I love my life."

With a report from CTV Toronto's Dana Levenson