Clark County school officials challenge ban on Trustee Child

Clark County School District employee unions are taking issue with Superintendent Pat Skorkowsky’s order banning Trustee Kevin Child from district property, arguing that it puts administrators and police officers in an untenable position as they do their jobs.

In a memo to administrators Tuesday, Skorkowsky announced that Child would not be allowed on district property, saying he repeatedly had ignored guidelines for visits that were created to address complaints about his behavior from staff. Skorkowsky’s memo directed staff to ask Child to leave the property if he shows up at any building or school and to call police if he refuses to comply.

“If Trustee Child refuses to leave, contact CCSD School Police to have him escorted off the property,” the memo said. “Trustee Child has been advised that if he enters district property without my prior approval and refuses to leave, law enforcement will be contacted to remove him.”

Legal question

But the Police Officers Association is questioning the legality of the directive, concerned that police officers might be forced to carry out an unlawful arrest.

“By law, by statute, it is the trustees of the school district who govern and have authority over the district,” said the association’s general counsel, Adam Levine. “By statute it is the trustees who are in control of district property, not the superintendent.”

Officers also do not report to the superintendent, Levine added, but to School District Police Chief James Ketsaa. He said union representatives hope to meet with Ketsaa to outline their concerns.

“It appears that the superintendent is exceeding his authority, and unless there is a statute I have overlooked, I just don’t see a lawful basis for this directive,” Levine said.

Ketsaa, however, said in a statement that a lieutenant or captain will respond to any calls made under Skorkowsky’s directive.

“If a building administrator asks anyone to leave CCSD property and they do not leave, Clark County School District School Police respond to the incident,” he said.

‘Disagreements and disputes’

The administrators’ union also raised concerns, claiming that the directive “inappropriately” involves administrators in an ongoing dispute between Skorkowsky and Child.

“Your actions to involve your administrative employees in your disagreements and disputes with Trustee Child are unreasonable and must cease immediately,” the union’s executive director, Stephen Augspurger, wrote in a letter to the superintendent Thursday.

Augspurger did say the union appreciates Skorkowsky’s attempt to address concerns from employees, but he took issue with Skorkowsky’s order not to respond to Child if he contacts administrators by any means.

“(The union) cannot support your unreasonable actions and behaviors which involve your administrators in disputes between you and Trustee Child and which undermine the ability of administrators to fully discharge their responsibilities by restricting their ability to engage in conversation with a publicly elected official,” Augspurger wrote.

Augspurger was one of the first public figures to speak out about Child’s behavior, telling the School Board in August 2016 that Child threatened him.

His letter asks for clarifications on the directive.

The district’s general counsel, Carlos McDade, disputed the union contentions, saying administrators are authorized to control access to their school buildings to prevent disruption under Nevada law.

“The superintendent has received communications from employees that gives him reason to believe that this restricted access is necessary,” McDade said. “Many of the communications are confidential, and the superintendent is not able to share those with the public.”

Complaints date to 2014

Documents obtained by the Review-Journal show complaints about Child’s behavior began back in 2014. A district investigation concluded that Child created a hostile and intimidating work environment, making some female employees uncomfortable by staring. He also was accused of improperly holding suicide counseling sessions with young children.

Child has insisted the district does not have proof of such claims, and the whole issue is retaliation against him for asking tough questions of the district.

Child did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Contact Amelia Pak-Harvey at apak-harvey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4630. Follow @AmeliaPakHarvey on Twitter.