Friday, Dec. 17, 2010 | 3:59 p.m.
Danielle Marie Garry
Carmen Denise Cozart
Clark County School District police arrested two district employees in separate incidents Friday — a Chaparral High School teacher on a burglary charge and a Mendoza Elementary teacher’s aide in connection with a disturbance at that school.
Danielle Garry, 39, a Chaparral biology teacher, was arrested just before noon, police said, on charges of burglary, possession of stolen property and obtaining money under false pretenses. She is currently booked in Clark County Detention Center with $11,800 bail.
CCSD police spokesman Lt. Ken Young said detectives were investigating Garry for some time. She is accused of stealing electronic equipment from the school – including computers – and selling them.
Carmen Cozart, 43, a Mendoza Elementary instructional assistant, was arrested around the same time, Young said, and charged with threat to cause bodily harm. She is currently booked in CCDC on $1,000 bail.
Authorities received a complaint that Cozart had allegedly threatened to cause harm to the school’s administrator, Young said.
Both were arrested without incident and are currently on administrative leave. No students were involved in either case.
Chaparral High School has seen better days.
Once among the top performing schools in the Clark County School District, Chaparral High is undergoing changes to counter dismal test scores and the lowest graduation rate in the district.
The campus located near East Flamingo Road and U.S. 95 is one of five turnaround schools not meeting the expectations outlined in No Child Left Behind.
Chaparral is now looking to clean up its reputation, touching every aspect of the school from restrooms to test scores.
Changes weren’t received well by students who openly protested the cuts to faculty and the new order that banned the use of cell phones and music players during the school day.
Under stricter rules, tardy students are locked out of classrooms, bathroom breaks during class time aren’t allowed and the lunch hour was pushed back to 1:40 p.m.
Superintendent Dwight Jones told students he’s not settling for half successes.
“Right now, 50 percent of the kids in this school don’t graduate high school. Is that acceptable to you? Think about that. Right now, some of the friends that you’re with aren’t going to graduate. Is that OK? That’s unacceptable to me. I think you guys ought to kick all of us out.”
- Year built:
- 1971
- Mascot:
- Cowboys
- Principal (Year Hired):
- David Wilson (2011)
- Enrollment:
- Approximately 2,250
- School Report Card:
- 2010-2011
Compiled by Gregan Wingert
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