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CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Nevada lawmakers are trying to clear up confusion on which police agencies should respond to emergencies at charter schools, saying unanswered questions about jurisdiction have stalled police responses and created dangerous situations for students and staff.
The Senate Education Committee held a meeting Tuesday to discuss AB321, which is sponsored by Republican Assemblyman Stephen Silberkraus and requires police departments run by school districts to provide contract police services for charter schools upon request. The bill already passed the Assembly in a 39-3 vote.
Charter school officials say they've been caught in a no man's land during emergency situations, with school district police referring them to regular police and vice versa. Police noted that charter schools are often in nontraditional buildings such as strip malls, and officers sometimes don't know whether they should be responding to calls there, or that there's a school there at all.
"This is a communication problem, largely," said Eric Spratley of the Washoe County Sheriff's Office.
Kimberly Regan, director of the Sierra Nevada Academy Charter School, said she had to plead for help repeatedly from school district and Reno police when a fight broke out next to the school two years ago and one of the combatants was shouting about a gun.
Administrators said a similar delay happened after a shooting near High Desert Montessori Charter School in Reno, which enrolls about 400 students. Principal Tammie Stockton said a regular school nearby was placed on lockdown and officers were stationed there during the police response, but officers didn't give her guidance until about an hour after the incident when she called them.
"It is unacceptable that neither Reno police nor Washoe County school police can take a moment to communicate with us when there is an emergency that could put our students and staff at risk," Stockton said. "I feel that our safety is secondary in the eyes of school police and Reno PD."
The bill would require school districts to strike police service agreements with charter schools if they request it and pay for it. Representatives from school districts said they would be on board with helping the charter schools, but emphasized that they pay the officers from their own budgets and wanted to make sure additional duties for their officers came with additional money.
Clark County School District lobbyist Craig Stevens said it would take time to ramp up its police force, so an amendment to the bill specifies that regular city police forces would be responsible for responding to charter schools until those contracts are hammered out.
Las Vegas police representatives also proposed an amendment, saying they wanted to loosen the bill language so officers could decide whether a call is serious enough for their response.
Republican Sen. Mark Lipparelli said the bill struck a nerve, adding that he was concerned that there was no clear answer on who's responsible in everyday emergency calls at charter schools.
"I'm getting more upset as I hear more testimony," he said. "It's more than a communications problem."
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