11 more CCSD high schools get emergency security upgrades

The Clark County School Board received information at its Thursday night meeting about emergency security upgrades at 11 more high schools.

Trustees did not take action on the security upgrades, as they were part of related agenda items that are for information only.

The high school campuses receiving emergency upgrades are: Canyon Springs, Cheyenne, Cimarron-Memorial, Desert Oasis, Desert Pines, Foothill, Legacy, Mojave, Rancho, Sierra Vista and Sunrise Mountain.

The school district entered into construction agreements with three companies — The PENTA Building Group, CORE West and Sletten Construction of Nevada — between late June and mid-July. Project amounts range from $860,758 to $1.6 million for each school.

The work includes adding more security cameras, a single point of entry at the front of campuses and additional fencing to secure remaining entrances.

It’s unclear from online meeting materials when the upgrades were completed or what the timeline is for the projects.

This summer, as the district began rolling out instant alert badges at schools, the district said it determined which schools get priority for the alarms based on how many points of entry a school has, which schools have the most calls for service and which schools have outdated camera systems.

In a Thursday morning statement to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the district said: “Each school community has unique needs based on current infrastructure. To provide security enhancements, aging infrastructure must also be repaired or replaced in order to support the security technology. The cost will vary from school to school.”

Details about some of the upgrades won’t be disclosed except to those who need to know, the district said, noting that security experts advise keeping exact procedures confidential “to prevent people from planning ways to circumvent the security measures.”

“While we would like to disclose security details so that our parents, students, and staff members feel more assured, doing so would allow those who intend to cause harm an advantage,” the district said.

During a mid-July meeting, the board received information about security upgrades at two other high schools — a $26.3 million project at Eldorado High School and a $99,970 project at Clark High School.

The work came after an Eldorado teacher was beaten and sexually assaulted by a 16-year-old student in April.

Under Nevada law, if an emergency exists that affects “public health, safety, or welfare,” a contract can be entered into without following normal requirements, and the governing board must be notified at its next regular meeting, according to online meeting materials.

The 11 project notices are nearly identical, except for differing construction companies and dollar amounts. They say security upgrades are “due to recent nationwide events.”

“Adding these security feature upgrades are a life safety necessity for added protection of students and staff,” according to online meeting materials.

Contact Julie Wootton-Greener at jgreener@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2921. Follow @julieswootton on Twitter.