Clark County Teachers Union Calls for Action after Student Arrested and School Lockdown

LAS VEGAS – The Clark County teacher’s union urges lawmakers to take action after a student was arrested following a lockdown at Shadow Ridge High School on Wednesday. The student had reportedly threatened the school, leading to a search that lasted several hours.

Lieutenant Bryan Zink of the Clark County School District Police Department revealed on Thursday that reports of a gun were unfounded. However, the situation led to a lockdown, and some parents criticized the lack of communication from the school.

According to Zink, students and staff responded appropriately to the lockdown. However, the president of the Clark County Education Association, Marie Neisess, said that some teachers had problems with communication during the incident.

The student was arrested for terroristic threats and assault. The incident falls under a restorative justice law passed by Nevada legislature in 2019. However, two bills recently introduced in the legislature, AB 330 and AB 285, could change the way violent incidents are handled in schools, allowing for immediate removal of students who commit violent acts.

The CCEA supports the bills to make schools safer, with Neisess emphasizing that “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.”

Data from the Clark County School District Police Department shows that from August 2022 to mid-February 2023, they issued over 600 criminal citations. Legacy High School, Cheyenne High School, and Sunrise Mountain High School were among the schools with the most citations. At Shadow Ridge High School, there were two arrests and six criminal citations during the same time period.

Credits: 8 News Now