One of the most outspoken members of the Clark County School District's board of trustees says he is even more focused on restoring funding for the district's police department following the deadly school shooting in Florida Wednesday.
"It is tragic, and my heart goes out to the parents," trustee Kevin Child said. "These are the things we have to be more proactive about."
Child says he spent the afternoon watching coverage of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that killed 17 students.
As he watched the coverage, Child said his thoughts turned to the recent cuts made by the school board that took nearly $1 million from school police.
"Safety should be number one in the Clark County School District," Child said.
Child was one of two members of the board who voted against the budget cuts that helped close a $20 million budget deficit.
The trustee said he puts a priority on school police because they are a key part of the "see something, say something" effort preached by law enforcement.
"It is about creating those relationships to keep kids from getting into trouble," Child said. "Catch it before it happens. Get the kids to say something. Get the teachers to say something."
Child said he will continue pushing to make district police funding a priority.
The school district did not offer a comment on Child's concerns and a call to a Clark County School District Police spokesperson was not returned before deadline.
