Clark County Schools Superintendent Jesus Jara listens to an assembled team of district professionals speak on COVID-19 during a Board of Trustees meeting Thursday, March 12, 2020.
Thursday, March 12, 2020 | 9 p.m.
The Clark County School District is constantly monitoring the coronavirus pandemic in Southern Nevada and preparing for a situation in which schools must close, even as officials hope to avoid closures for as long as possible, Superintendent Jesus Jara said on Thursday.
Jara elaborated on the district’s response to coronavirus at Thursday’s Clark County School District Board of Trustees meeting hours after announcing that all extracurricular activities and other nonessential school events would be canceled.
Officials promised to work with schools that have reported limited cleaning supplies and said they’re working on ways to reduce nonessential contact in schools, such as managing the distances between students in school cafeterias. They are also in contact with state officials and the Clark County Commission.
Gov. Steve Sisolak declared a state of emergency during the meeting, meaning that the school district could receive federal funding to respond to the crisis, said Christopher Bernier, the CCSD chief of staff. It is not clear how much money the district would receive as a result of the declaration, but officials plan to update their coronavirus response plan in light of that news, Bernier said.
“With federal aid now being a potential, our plan has to be revised tomorrow morning,” he said.
The school district will be able to cover the costs of students and families who already spent money on out-of-state field trips or other activities that have been canceled thanks to expected federal funding, Jara said.
Coronavirus has infected more than 131,00 people worldwide, including over 1,440 in the United States and 10 in Nevada. Eight people in Southern Nevada are believed to have been infected, with three new presumptive positive cases announced Thursday.
One reason for keeping Las Vegas public schools open at this time is because the Southern Nevada Health District has not yet recommended that they close, officials said.
By canceling non-essential school activities, the district hopes to limit the amount of time students and staff spend together in close quarters, officials explained. While most children have a low risk of contracting coronavirus and an even smaller risk of dying from the disease, that is not the case for older staff members or those with compromised immune systems of all ages.
School board members floated the idea of online learning, but CCSD is not yet prepared to offer online classes districtwide, Jara said. His hope is to have a clear plan and give families sufficient notice if schools were to close.
“Once a decision is made, I’m going to request that we have enough time to not only communicate to the community, but also share the plan in place,” he said.
Trustees acknowledged the challenges associated with closing schools, especially for students who rely on free and reduced lunch programs and for families who would not be able to take time off to care for their children. Several said they were concerned about families and staff living paycheck to paycheck as well as students for whom school is a safe haven.
“If we shut down our schools, we have a lot of at-risk populations that I’m really worried about,” Trustee Irene Cepeda said.
Some parents and educators lambasted the district’s response. Several substitute teachers, who are not represented by a union and receive hourly wages, raised concerns about going without pay in the event of school closures, while some staff complained of sick staff coming to work and insufficient cleaning supplies in schools.
Autumn Tampa, a Title I language and literacy intervention specialist with the district, said employees were receiving little information about how to clean their classrooms and that the district needed to be more specific on best practices.
“I think all schools need to have a meeting. Every school needs to have a meeting with students and employees and tell them what’s going on,” Tampa said.
Parent Jenna Robertson and School Board Trustees Lola Brooks and Linda Young suggested that the district allow parents to keep children home from school if they so choose. District officials did not indicate that they would permit that at this point.
“We need somebody to step up and either close our schools, or make us know that these schools are safe and that this is being taken seriously, because so far, it doesn’t feel that way,” Robertson said.
If schools were to close, hourly employees such as substitute teachers would not be guaranteed pay, Jara said. Many substitute teachers lack health insurance or paid sick leave as well, which could create additional challenges for them, some substitute teachers said.
“The majority of substitutes don’t have insurance,” said substitute teacher Fernando Valenzuela. “What do we do if we get sick?”
The district could apply for federal funding to support hourly employees, Bernier said. Officials did not respond to concerns about some employees’ health insurance.
For the time being, faculty and parents are being advised to keep their children home if they show any signs of illness and will not be penalized by the district for absences, Jara said. So far, no changes in attendance have been observed from either students or teachers, Jara said.
As the situation evolves, the district continues to communicate with all stakeholders around the clock, officials stressed.
“Every day those conversations change, because every day this virus changes on how it impacts our community,” Bernier said.
