Police say safety plan on campus has lowered violence at schools

A year after 15-year-old Christopher Privett was killed in a drive-by shooting near Palo Verde High School, officials praised a safety plan for reducing school violence.

The current school year has been spared similar tragic circumstances as Clark County School District police and other departments increased law enforcement presence.

Extra officers, for instance, will come to high schools for the beginning and end of the school day. Roving patrols also stay within a half-mile radius of "core schools," or schools receiving police attention.

At a Clark County School Board meeting Thursday, police said they have noticed a drop off in crime, noting that arrests for bringing guns on campus is less than half of what it normally is.

Police have confiscated 23 guns on campus this year, resulting in 15 arrests. Only nine guns were considered dangerous. Twelve guns turned out to be toys, and two guns were older, abandoned property.

At the same school board meeting, Tehran Boldon, a special education assistant at Western High School, urged officials to ban cell phones as a "public menace," because students are using them to start false alarms, spread rumors and take unwanted photos.

Contact reporter James Haug at jhaug@reviewjournal.com or 702-374-7917.