School Board official’s Facebook post prompts calls for him to resign

By Ian Whitaker

Thursday, July 21, 2016 | 6:30 p.m.

A handful of community members called on Clark County trustee Kevin Child to resign tonight, a week after the School Board member made controversial comments on his Facebook page.

“My concern is … that we’re sending the wrong message to our children,” said Teresa Friendly, a Clark County School District employee and mother who wore a Bernie Sanders pin as she spoke before a School Board meeting Thursday evening.

Child came under fire last week for a Facebook post in which he asked, “If protesters are in the road and blocking it and not in the crosswalk ... Would you run them over?”

It seemed to be a reaction to recent instances of Black Lives Matter protesters blocking roads and highways to protest police shootings, but it came at the same time an Islamic State sympathizer drove into a crowd celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, France, killing 84 people and injuring hundreds. Child’s comments were criticized by some on Twitter, including Victor Wakefield, a member of the state’s Board of Education.

Child deleted the status and apologized, saying he was just “taking the pulse” of people’s opinions on the issue.

“I understand a recent post I made on social media offended people,” Child said of the controversy on Thursday. “I just want to say I’m sorry if I offended people. I really am.”

He declined to say at the time whether he intended to resign.

Child, who was elected in a surprise upset of incumbent Stavan Corbett in 2014, is known for his off-the-cuff manner of speaking, a personal style that frequently leads to politically incorrect remarks that offend some.

But what seemed to upset people most was a post Child made in 2013 — before the Las Vegas real estate agent was elected to the School Board — which seemed to suggest he was blaming undocumented immigrants for the school district’s low graduation rates.

“IT IS THE PARENTS that can’t speak english is the reason,” he wrote, “... and most of those are here illegally.”

Child represents District D, which encompasses a highly diverse swath of urban Las Vegas.

“I’m disgusted that he’s the representative of District D, which has a predominantly Hispanic population,” said one community member.

“Mocking, dismissing or diminishing the lived experiences of others is not a viable solution forward,” said Adam Berger, a teacher. “No (official) should make racist comments.”

As of Thursday, a petition on change.org calling for Child’s resignation had gathered 510 signatures, half of its goal.

Child’s current term ends in 2018.