CCSD can now transfer bullies, new Nevada law says

School boards in Nevada will soon be able to transfer bullies to other schools within a district, a result of legislation signed into law by Gov. Joe Lombardo last week.

Assembly Bill 48, sponsored by the Clark County School District, was passed by both the Assembly and Senate and signed by Lombardo on May 26. It goes into effect July 1.

Bullying is a substantial issue in the CCSD — the district faces several lawsuits regarding bullying, and board meetings are filled with public comment describing persistent issues. The 2023-2204 school year saw 10,000 instances of bullying and almost 2,000 cases of cyberbullying, according to CCSD Government Relations Director Nathaniel Waugh.

But before this law was passed, school districts could only move the victim of bullying to another school and could not move the perpetrator. Thirty-four reassignments occurred in the 2023-2024 school year.

“The bad guy gets to stay and the person who is a victim needs to leave, and that needs to change,” Mary Pierczynski with the Nevada Association of School Superintendents said while testifying in support of the bill in April.

AB 48 authorizes a school board to assign a student who is a perpetrator of discrimination based on race, bullying or cyber-bullying to another school in the district in consultation with the student’s parent or guardian. If both the victim and the bully move schools, the bill ensures they do not go to the same one.

State Sen. Carrie Buck, R-Henderson, thanked the school district’s representative for sponsoring the bill. In the hearing, she described an incident in which a child had sexually harassed several girls, but it was the girls who had to leave the school.

“Oftentimes with legislation we enable that behavior, and it doesn’t teach the child. They grow up in this system that enables them,” Buck said, referring to the bully in such a scenario.

Two students from the Carson Montessori School student legislative team also spoke in support of the bill at the hearing.

The bill also allows administrators the ability to assess bullying reports before diving into a full-fledged investigation. Around 40 percent of reports end up being unsubstantiated, according to Jeff Horn, the executive director of the Clark County Association of School Administrators and Professional Technical Employees.

State Sen. Michelee Cruz-Crawford, D-North Las Vegas, and principal of Ronnow Elementary in east Las Vegas, said she’s grateful that this bill could allow for more conversations with students and their families. Often, she said, there are “warning signs,” and it would be helpful for families to know that removal could be the end result.

“I really appreciate this bill, probably on behalf of all school administrators,” Cruz-Crawford said during an April hearing.

Contact Katie Futterman at kfutterman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ktfutts on X and @katiefutterman.bsky.social.