North Las Vegas councilman approved to join CCSD school board

North Las Vegas City Councilman and recently retired Rancho High School teacher Isaac Barron is finally joining the Clark County School District board.

The North Las Vegas City Council appointed one of its own Wednesday to be the city’s nonvoting appointed representative on the school board. This had been the city’s plan all along, as the council first green-lit Barron’s appointment in October. However, Barron agreed to turn down the assignment following school board President Evelyn Garcia Morales’ concerns over seating him because he was also a district employee at the time.

But when Barron retired from teaching this summer after more than 25 years with CCSD, that made the objection moot.

“The fact that he's hanging up one life accomplishment and literally ready to move on to the next one and continue to serve in this meaningful way is just a testament to his character and his commitment to our community,” said North Las Vegas Mayor Pro Tem Scott Black.

The appointment comes after the passage last year of Assembly Bill 175, which transformed the often-fractured school board in Clark County from a seven-member elected panel to a hybrid of seven elected members and four nonvoting members appointed by the municipal governing bodies of the county and its three largest cities. That gave the Clark County Commission and the city councils of North Las Vegas, Las Vegas and Henderson each an appointee.

Garcia Morales, who is up for reelection in November to represent a swath of CCSD that includes portions of North Las Vegas, told Barron last fall that his appointment was in conflict with the school board’s regulation on employee public board service. Although other city officials disagreed that his employment should disqualify him, Barron said that, to avoid distraction from the board’s stated mission to improve student learning, he would step back. The city council instead appointed Dane Watson, a staffer from the Clark County Education Association teachers union, to be sworn in along with the rest of the first class of appointees in January.

Barron, who abstained from the vote to appoint him to the school board, thanked Watson for his service.

“I’ll do the best job I possibly can,” Barron said. It’s unclear when he will be sworn in.

This isn’t North Las Vegas’ only conflict with CCSD over appointed school board members.

The city, along with Henderson, successfully sued the school board earlier this year over its policy barring appointees from making or seconding motions. A majority of the elected members instituted the rule restricting motions just after the appointees took office.

AB 175 said the appointed members could not vote or serve as board officers. The bill did not say anything about the appointed members making or seconding motions; it said that aside from not voting or serving as officers, appointees “shall have the same rights and responsibilities as voting members of the board of trustees.”

Attorneys for the board argued that if the law intended for appointees to make or second motions, the legislation would have said so explicitly. They also said that Henderson and North Las Vegas, which have both had education initiatives, divisions and programming in partnership with local schools for years, did not have standing to bring the lawsuit.

A Clark County District Court judge, however, sided in May with the cities’ argument that the board needed to repeal the policy to comply with the state law.

The school board considered appealing the decision when it met earlier this month, but a majority of members voted against it.

CCSD messaging on new cell phone rules

CCSD has posted a brief explainer video for parents and students on new student cell phone rules.

Starting when school resumes in August, students in grades 6-12 must place their phones in nonlocking, signal-blocking pouches during classroom learning time. The rule is intended to reduce distractions.

Elementary schools have the option to use the pouches. Guardians will receive additional information from their child’s school about procedures specific to their campus.

Pouches will be located where students can access them in an emergency or an evacuation drill, such as on their desks.

Watch the video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqQnM9t8GV0.

CCSD, Cox host back-to-school fairs

CCSD and Cox Communications continue to host back-to-school fairs around the valley.

CCSD representatives will be available to answer questions regarding registration, transportation, food service and other programs and services on July 27 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at Downtown Summerlin, and Aug. 3 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Meadows Mall. Vaccinations will be available on-site at the Meadows Mall event.

The district and Cox hosted fairs earlier this month at Galleria at Sunset and the Boulevard Mall.