LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – There is some hope for parents as a Clark County Commissioner is taking action to make sure the roads are safer for middle schools.
Typically, during arrival and dismissal time, school zones are packed. This is particularly evident at middle schools where students are walking or biking alone.
However, it is getting dangerous, as we have learned that many middle school students have been hit by cars.
“We all want to send our kids to school without being afraid to death that they will be hit by a car,” Commissioner Michael Naft said.
Naft tells us that so far this school year, 46 students have been hit in Clark County. 28 of them were middle schoolers.
One of them, as FOX5 reported, is 11-year-old Rayan Kim, who was hit and run over near Gunderson Middle School last month by Buffalo and Cactus.
“If hell is true, this is a curse. It is too much,” Rayan’s mom told FOX5.
“That little boy’s life will be impacted forever because of, in my view, carelessness,” Commissioner Naft said.
Rayan’s mom is fighting for change by holding a rally for safer roads on Feb. 20
It is the same day Naft has pushed for a vote amongst the commissioners to provide more funding for more crossing guards for middle schoolers.
Naft tells FOX5 he is confident the vote will be unanimous.
“We are ready to go. I am tired of waiting,” Naft said.
Naft said he pushed for this for a while as he gathered data about why crossing guards are needed in middle schools.
“I did this because we are at a crisis. We have had more kids struck by cars at the beginning of February than the entire school year last year,” Naft said.
He said it won’t be just one crossing guard for each Clark County middle school.
“If I can get four more crossing guards in front of middle schools, 8 more sets of eyes and hands there, I am going to do it,” he said.
Once the vote passes, Naft said we can expect to see crossing guards at middle schools within 60 days.
He also estimates it will cost a little more than $1 million each school year, but believes it is worth it.
Clark County School District does not provide the crossing guards, telling FOX5 it is up to each jurisdiction to hire them.
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