LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A change put in place by the Clark County School District is likely to lead to parents of some youth sports athletes in the Las Vegas valley spending more for their child's right to play.
The new CCSD rule will require that two district police officers be present for security at every non-school-sponsored athletic event on CCSD property.
Officials with National Youth Sports Nevada are worried the extra costs — the officers will need to be paid nearly $60 per hour for each event they work, according to the district — will deter some parents from placing their kids in leagues.
"This was a big change," says Ben Joffe, Director of Operations for NYS Nevada. "It's something we didn't expect to be on this massive of a scale."
In fact, Joffe figures that for the fall football season alone, the change could cost around $100,000 in extra charges.
Joffe says he could hire private security officers for about one-third of the cost. However, the district is mandating that CCSD officers be the only ones allowed to work the games.
In a statement sent to Channel 13, the district says it needed to make the change, in part, because it "recently had to utilize" resources for "security issues" at non-school-sponsored athletic events. But Cedric Allen, a youth football coach in Las Vegas, says the switch is likely going to lead to less kids going out for NYS Nevada teams.
"There's been price increases on everything," Allen says. "There's families unable to afford housing right now."
Allen says he doesn't understand why the district would make the change and wonders if it was needed at all.
In a statement, the district says it will "continue conversations with community stakeholders regarding streamlining the process."
The change hasn't gone into effect yet, but is expected to later this year.
