LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Standing in front of a brand new football field at Sierra Vista High School, Dr. Jesus Jara made an important announcement on Thursday regarding school sports in the Las Vegas area -- in some cases, spectators will be allowed at spring events.
But before he shared the update, the Clark County School District superintendent took a moment to appreciate the "beautiful" field behind him.
"As you can see behind me, what we have here is [one of the] beautiful football fields that we have transformed in 33 of our high schools," said Supt. Jara.
"An investment in our community, in our children, of $55 million," he added.
Some might say it's a much-needed investment. In 2019, 13 Investigates exposed shoddy field conditions and a lack of maintenance on multiple CSSD high school sports fields.
13 INVESTIGATES SCHOOL FIELDS:
"There's about six or seven areas on the field where the new sod was put in and the old grass hadn't grown up to the level of the new sod," Liberty High School Coach Rich Muraco told 13 Chief Investigator Darcy Spears at the time.
"So there was a lip. And in any of those spots, you could have rolled an ankle or tripped."
"It's basically playing on concrete," he said during the same interview.
Not long after that, the district announced a list of schools that would be getting upgraded turf.
Now, it appears the list has expanded.
"As I continue to talk about our safety, [it is] a top priority for us," said Supt. Jara during the Tuesday press conference.
"What we have seen is this community has come together on behalf of our 310,000 children."
