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Attacks on teachers and violent fights among students are becoming commonplace in schools in the Clark County School District, leaving school administrators under pressure to act. But as they’re finding out, there is no easy fix.
Friday, April 22, 2022 | 2 a.m.
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The teenage girl was determined to charge her cellphone and found an outlet near the ceiling of the central Las Vegas fast food restaurant.
She shared a soda with two friends Saturday as her phone dangled from above on the short charger cord. A few minutes later the phone rang and she stood on the table to answer the call, proceeding to yell profanities in a heated conversation.
The restaurant manager raced out from the kitchen and politely told the girl to get down from the table, citing sanitary concerns. The girl ignored him. So, he told her again.
That’s when chaos broke out. The girl jumped from the table and attacked the manager, attempting to strike him and stirring great fear — in employees and patrons, including my family.
The girl and her two friends left the restaurant, but not before violently kicking over cleaning signs and spilling drinks. One of the teens filmed the assault — almost proudly — on her phone.
The violent acts mirror what is happening in our schools, including three separate incidents of alleged assault on teachers by students on Wednesday, according to Clark County School District Police.
The attacks Wednesday weren’t exclusive to one section of town, occurring at Foothill High School in Henderson, Palo Verde High School in Summerlin and Grant Sawyer Middle School in southwest Las Vegas. The alleged attackers have been both boys and girls.
Of course, this week was supposed to be different.
Students returned from spring break Tuesday with a video message from Superintendent Jesus Jara reminding them of behavioral expectations: “In addition to your academic work, I need you to recommit yourself to proper conduct while at school,” he concluded. Some schools even had assemblies to stress good citizenship.
The behavioral reminders came after a 16-year-old Eldorado High School student on April 7 attacked his teacher from behind, strangling her and slamming her head into a table until she fell into unconsciousness, according to a report from Metro Police. The student reportedly admitted to also sexually assaulting the teacher, resulting in teachers pleading with CCSD administrators to enhance security so they can work safely with their students.
The horrific attack on an educator, someone dedicated to helping our children be the best version of themselves shined light on a troubling increase in violence that has spiked out of control the past six months. The violence coincides with the struggles students have faced in transitioning back to full in-person learning after remote instruction for more than a year during the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
Trying to learn why attacks on teachers and violent fights among students are becoming commonplace is an important step to preventing them from happening. As CCSD officials are realizing, there is no easy fix. It is going to take more than simply telling a child to behave, especially when you are dealing with more than 300,000 children, many of whom are still feeling the effects of the economic and health crises our community endured during the pandemic.
A study released early this year by JAMA Pediatrics evaluating the pandemic’s effect on children in 11 countries revealed that school closures increased depression, anxiety and other mental health problems. The problem was surely compounded in Las Vegas, one of the area’s hit hardest by the pandemic and resulting economic slowdown and where we are still trying to fully get back on our feet. We had record unemployment, our hospitals and their health care workers were stretched beyond their limits, thousands of people died and tens of thousands fell ill to COVID-19, and many families saw their livelihoods flipped upside down.
Along the way, priorities changed for children. Some had to step up and care for younger siblings, others became isolated because they desperately needed the interaction of classmates and after-school activities. Others regretfully harmed themselves. In the first year of closures, at least 10 CCSD students committed suicide.
When you aren’t sure where your next meal will come from, when you see a beloved family member die because of the virus, or if you aren’t sure where you’ll be sleeping, being a model citizen takes a back seat. And when someone of authority (the restaurant manager) challenges a teen about a prized possession of a cellphone, the reaction is what we witnessed.
The good news is that many of the district’s 40,000 employees aren’t turning their back on kids. For many, being an educator isn’t a job with a twice monthly paycheck — it’s a passion. Their hearts are aching because they know the thousands of good children in Las Vegas and its surroundings are being overshadowed by the acts of a few others.
In a social media post Monday, a Basic Academy coach surely wrote what many of his colleagues were thinking, “I am blessed to have the relationships I have built with these youngsters and I am going to show up tomorrow and continue to give these guys my all like I’ve always strived to.”
Others are also working to address the problem, including the recently launched Dads in Schools program, where approved fathers will be on campus mentoring children and helping de-escalate potential conflicts. The volunteers must go through training and background checks.
Children are quick to mimic what they see, and unfortunately, this trend of acting out violently is spreading. Witnessing someone committed to service and helping the community could have a similar impact.
“I am thrilled to lend my support to a program with such capacity to do good as Dads in Schools,” Attorney General Aaron Ford said. “As a father, I believe it is important to take all the steps that we can to protect children and give them a safe and welcoming environment to learn. As your attorney general, I urge any Nevadan that can participate to do so and to take steps to keep Nevada safe for our most precious resource — our children.”
Ford is spot on.
We are all trying to figure out how the world looks and feels as we emerge from the pandemic, and our most precious resource can’t be left behind. Not all children are going to show up to school ready to learn and with a clear head.
It’s vitally important that we continue to address the mental health of children in our community, and that starts by figuring out what is leading to the outbursts.
