LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – Several middle schools in the Clark County School District will receive security upgrades amid a concern of violence on campus.
CCSD administrators have said there is an increase in violence in middle schools. To address this, some campuses will get a single point of entry, fencing around the school, and new security cameras.
At last month’s meeting, the district’s board of trustees approved to hire an architectural firm to design the upgrades for Greenspun Junior High School; Schofield Middle School; Cortney Junior High School; Canarelli Middle School; Mannion Middle School; Bob Miller Middle School; and Sawyer Middle School.
Leonard Lither taught at CCSD until this current school year.
“Every kid deserves a high-quality education and unfortunately I don’t think they’re often getting that,” Lither said.
He has two kids in the district, one is a middle schooler.
“I believe you said seven schools are on that list. Seven, that’s just insufficient. And if they can find money to settle for another $12 or $13 million lawsuits, they can put more cameras than just seven schools,” Lither said.
The district fast-tracked its efforts to make schools safer after a teacher at Eldorado High School in 2022 was beaten and sexually assaulted. A student was sentenced to 16 years in prison for the attack.
CCSD’s former superintendent Dr. Jesus Jara, discussed the changes later that year.
“We are addressing the single point of entry. We are addressing the fencing that we’re seeing in our schools. We’re updating camera systems,” Jara told 8 News Now on Aug. 2, 2022.
As for Lither, he said the district should get input from parents.
“Ask parents like me to come in and say what do you see that makes you feel that the school may not be safe, because I’m not trying to sell them a product. Other parents could do the same,” Lither said.
According to records, CCSD will pay $607,000 to the firm BRAND Architecture, LLP, to develop designs for the seven middle schools.
CCSD declined to do a TV interview for the story but said in statement trustees approved putting in place security enhancements before the 2022-2023 school year.
