LAS VEGAS — Every day, students walk into their classrooms with the hope that it will be a normal, peaceful day. But for many, this hope is quickly shattered by an unexpected announcement — whether it’s an emergency or a drill.
Classrooms, once spaces of learning and growth, can transform into places of fear and uncertainty. Textbooks and lunch breaks are replaced with reinforced locks, metal detectors, and the constant threat of danger. Parents across the country have expressed concerns about their children's well-being in these environments.
Anxiety, bullying, and even gun violence have become part of the school experience for many students. These issues create a heavy cloud over educational institutions nationwide.
Desiree Gomez, Ama Trussell, and Frank Friends all have children attending schools in Clark County. While they come from different backgrounds, they share a common concern: schools must do more to protect and support their kids.
Gomez, who spoke with 8 News Now, demonstrated how she secures her home door in case of an active shooter. This is now a routine part of her life. “I only have two children, and I had to work really hard to get them,” she said anxiously. She worries about her child’s safety at school.
“They’re supposed to have practice lockdowns,” Gomez explained. However, not all drills are the same. She recalled a time when her daughter was in band class and couldn’t hear the alarm. “I was very concerned because she’s in there, it’s one of the first classrooms you come across,” she said. “So, I don’t know still whether the situation has been fixed.”
When talking to her children about these drills, Gomez said they don’t want to think about it. “Because they’re too scary,” she explained.
This fear is shared by parents like Ama Trussell, who understands the anxiety. “I know multiple students right now that are in therapy because they don’t feel safe at school, because something happened to them personally,” she said.
Trussell’s child attends the same school as Gomez’s kids. The two parents met through their children and both noted that no one heard the alarm during a recent incident. When asked why she keeps her child in that class, Trussell responded, “What are the other options?”
The Clark County School District provided a statement to 8 News Now. It mentioned that the alarm system in that classroom has been inspected, and repairs were needed. Techs are now addressing the issue, the district said.
A CCSD spokesperson also mentioned that no one was available to discuss broader issues presented in the story.
Frank Friends, who attended school in Clark County as a child, now has a daughter in the same district. He talked about school lockdowns, drills, and shootings with his daughter when she was just five years old. Friends said CCSD is missing the mark on safety, which leads to increased anxiety among children.
To gain more insight, 8 News Now turned to Christopher Kearny, Ph.D., chair of psychology at UNLV.
“So, about 96% of all schools have some kind of practice drill for safety threats,” he said.
While kids are used to drills, it becomes more challenging when the situation turns real. “Threat-based lockdowns can cause a lot of short-term mental health effects,” Kearny explained. “One person, it could be that they’re sweating or shaking.”
He added that for kids already struggling with mental health, these situations can worsen their conditions. The effects extend beyond the classroom, as increasing violence in schools has led to higher rates of chronic absenteeism. “More and more families are withdrawing their kids from schools across the U.S.,” he said. Lockdowns are just one of the reasons behind this trend.
In Clark County, enrollment has noticeably declined. “And part of that is safety-oriented concerns,” Kearny said.
Kearny emphasized the need for better communication between families and schools. He stressed the importance of prioritizing students’ mental and physical health. Above all, schools must build trust so that students and parents feel supported.
According to documents obtained by 8 News Now, CCSD has handled about 1,300 lockdowns in the past three school years. The school district filed a criminal complaint in only one of those cases. Compared to nearly 20 false alarms a year and around 13 that go to other jurisdictions for investigation, this number seems low.
A recent study showed that students exposed to a lockdown can also experience stress, ADHD, or anxiety disorders.
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