LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – As the Clark County School District prepares to welcome nearly 300,000 students to campus on Monday, they’re breaking down added layers of security to keep students safe.
For starters, officers from different agencies in the Las Vegas Valley, along with CCSD Police, will work out of a “Unified Command Post” for the first week of school.
This is basically one location where all of the agencies can communicate, so they can respond quickly in case of an emergency.
Also, for the first time, CCSD Police will cover rural schools, including Laughlin and Indian Springs. District officials say schools in these locations were previously covered by Metro Police.
The district also put a few new policies in place for the upcoming school year.
Every middle and high school student will have to wear an ID badge while on campus.
They’re also replacing their old metal detectors with a new, faster weapon detection system. It will be used at large high school sporting events and for random screenings at middle and high schools.
District officials say when someone walks through the new system, it will detect the size of any metal object that person is carrying. It allows one person to walk through every three seconds.
Middle and high schoolers will also be required to use signal-blocking cell phone pouches in class.
“This will help with our focus on teaching and learning. Students will have access to their cell phones if needed as these are non locking cell phone pouches,” Interim Superintendent Brenda Larsen-Mitchell says.
CCSD is also asking for help from parents.
Before the first day, district officials are asking parents and guardians to make sure their children know the safest route to school if they’re walking. Once school starts, they say it is important for parents to check their child’s backpacks to ensure they’re only bringing safe items to school, and to keep their firearms at home locked up.
“As a parent, it’s important that we have constant communication with our children about anything suspicious, ” LVMPD Deputy Chief Branden Clarkson says. “If we see something suspicious, we see something and we say something.”
The district is also more than doubling its number of police social workers, from three to eight. They say last year, the team of three responded to almost 600 referrals to help students and their families.
You can find more information about CCSD safety policies here.
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