What’s new at CCSD this school year

As CCSD parents and students prepare for the start of the 2024-2025 school year, district officials reminded them of the new measures taking place, including limits on  cell phones in classrooms.

Next week, nearly 290,000 students and 45,000 employees in the Clark County School District will start the 2024-2025 school year with some new rules and provisions — from signal-blocking cell phone pouches to new weapon detectors at sporting events — that district officials said are necessary to keep students safe and focused in school. 

Starting Aug. 12, all middle schools and high schools will have pouches for students to place their cell phones in during instruction that block the signal to limit distractions during class, officials said. The pouches simply zip up, do not lock, and are placed on students’ desks so they will have access to their cell phones if needed, as well as during passing periods and lunch time.

According to a Pew Research Center report, 33% of the more than 2,500 teachers surveyed nationwide said that students being distracted by cell phones was a problem in their classrooms. The challenge seemed to be more common among high school teachers, with 72% of them stating cell phones in the classroom is a major problem, the study shows. 

“Every minute of instruction is important for student learning, and studies clearly show that cell phones distract students,” CCSD Interim Superintendent Brenda Larsen-Mitchell said in a statement. “Ten schools piloted the cell phone pouches last year with success leading us to expand the program to all our secondary schools.”

Administrators and teachers will work together in implementing the cell phone pouches in their classrooms and the district will “follow progressive steps for students who do not want to use them,” officials said in a press conference Tuesday. 

In case of family emergencies, Larsen-Mitchell said parents can always contact the school’s main office to speak with their child if the need arises, or get in touch when the cell phone is taken out of the pouch after class.

Clark County School District is requiring middle and high school students to put their phones in new signal-blocking pouches aimed to reduce distractions in the classroom, Las Vegas, Aug. 6, 2024. (Jannelle Calderon / The Nevadan / El Nevadense)

Keeping students safe

CCSD is also requiring all middle school and high school students to wear their student ID card on a lanyard, which the school will provide, while on campus.

School officials said that the change is to ensure staff can identify all students and who is supposed to be on campus. Student IDs can be replaced if lost.

In addition, the district has 43 new weapons detectors, which are more advanced and are replacing regular metal detectors. They will be used at all of the valley’s high schools during large-scale athletic events such as varsity basketball and football games. The new systems are meant to be faster than the hand-held metal detectors that were already being used, screening a person every three seconds, officials said. 

The district is also implementing “random arrival screenings” on a rotating basis at middle and high schools, where students can expect to go through the weapons detector when entering the campus. 

At the beginning of every school year, CCSD school police will also establish an “unified command post” with every municipal law enforcement agency across the county to ensure commute, traffic, and communication near and around schools goes smoothly. Parents and students can expect to see an increase in police presence during arrival and after school for the first week of school. The partnership will also assemble during special school events.

“This is important for parents to know — do not be alarmed, and that this is absolutely normal. We’re just making sure everything is safe,” said Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) Deputy Chief Brandon Clarkson during the press conference, reminding drivers to look out for school zone signs and speed limits, and reminding parents to ensure any firearms at home remain locked away.

“We’re all responsible for the safety of our schools, and they should remain the safest place in the community throughout the entire year,” he continued. 

Clarkson also announced that school police now have eight social workers — compared to only three last year, when the district responded to almost 600 referrals for services for students and their families. 

CCSD’s school police force is also expanding to schools in Laughlin, Sandy Valley, Indian Springs and Moapa, where regular LVMPD officers were previously covering, Clarkson said.