LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The Clark County teacher’s union is calling on lawmakers to act following Wednesday’s lockdown and arrest of a student.
For several hours authorities searched for a student at Shadow Ridge High School who reportedly threatened the school.
On Thursday, Lt. Bryan Zink of the Clark County School District Police Department revealed reports of a gun were unfounded.
“Simply put, anytime we get a report or a rumor of a gun, we treat that situation as if there is a gun until we prove that there isn’t a gun,” Zink said.
The situation led to a lockdown on Wednesday at Shadow Ridge. At the time, parents went to the high school demanding answers, and some said there was a lack of communication.
“We were kind of left in the dark. Don’t know what was going on until you informed us,” Elvira Castro, who eventually reunited with her daughter, said.
As for what was occurring in Shadow Ridge High, Lt. Zink said students and staff responded in a proper way.
“Everybody operated the way they should have and we’re very happy with the outcome,” Zink said.
The president of the Clark County Education Association Marie Neisess said some teachers had problems with communication.
“They were a little frustrated that parents immediately got a letter from the school explaining what was happening, but yet staff didn’t and they’re hearing it from their students,” Neisess said.
According to CCSDPD, the student was arrested for terroristic threats and assault.
A restorative justice law Nevada legislatures passed in 2019 will impact how the student is disciplined. Yet, two bills recently introduced in the legislature, AB 330 and AB 285, would change that, allowing for the immediate removal of a student who commits a violent act, which currently isn’t the case.
CCEA supports the bills to make schools safer.
“When it’s an egregious, violent act that reaches a level of such a school shooting or some severe act, we want to make sure there’s zero tolerance,” Neisess said.
To put the violent incidents at CCSD into perspective, school police have issued more than 600 criminal citations from August 2022 to mid-February 2023.
Here is a list of the schools with the most citations:
Legacy High School – 35
Cheyenne High School – 30
Sunrise Mountain High School – 26
Peterson Behavior Jr Sr High – 21
Desert Oasis High School – 21
West Preparatory Academy – 21
Desert Pines High School – 18
Mojave High School – 17
Valley High School – 16
As for Shadow Ridge High School, district data showed that from August 2022 to mid-February 2023, CCSDPD made two arrests and issued six criminal citations.
