LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — After a recent threat at a CCSD school was revealed to be a hoax, many parents are opting to keep their children home out of an abundance of caution.
Channel 13's Paulina Bucka spoke with two mothers who opted to send their children to school but understand why many parents are still concerned.
While they don't know each other, mothers Malgorzata Czerwinski and Kerrie Pennington both know about a social media post that has school districts across the country concerned.
It's a hoax that circulated on social media, originating in Florida and making its way to Southern Nevada. The post claims that May 10 will be the largest mass shooting in school history.
"When we hear something like that, we don't know if it has credibility or not, but a number of us were thinking if we should send our children to school," said Pennington.
Both mothers decided to send their students to school on Wednesday, despite having reservations at first.
"Today, I wasn't really scared, because I think whatever went on social media, that was a scam and police was investigating and we got letters from CCSD," Czerwinski said.
Pennington says she also has concerns about accessibility at her child's school in case of an active shooter.
"I did want to address is how wide open some of our campuses are," Pennington said. "The school my daughter attends has a front office, and it's all glass — you can see right through. All the office staff are sat there like sitting ducks."
With only 8 more school days left this year, CCSD leaders and law enforcement announced in a recent press conference that they will be adding additional patrols around schools.
They also say they are looking at new safety measures, including clear backpacks and metal detectors when the new school year begins in August.
Superintendent Dr. Jesus Jara says the problems many are seeing on campus are "echoing issues we're seeing in our community."
"Monitor who your kids are talking to and what they're doing so I don't have to greet them at UMC at a trauma center," Dr. Jara said during the conference.
While both parents agreed that parents need to be involved, Pennington believes that CCSD should play a larger role.
"I don't like to think it's just a community problem because I think it pushes away some of the safety issues from them," Pennington said.
She added, "I do think they have a responsibility to keep our kids safe."
