LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — An elementary school on Mount Charleston is still closed after suffering damage from the remnants of Hurricane Hilary last August and parents say they have questions about the ongoing closure that aren't being answered.
Since August 28th, students who went to Earl B. Lundy Elementary Schoolare, instead, being bused to a school about 45 minutes away — and the commute to Indian Springs Elementary can take even longer at times.
Josh Bowers said the change has turned his second grader's school year upside down. He said the long bus rides, earlier wake-up calls, and different environment have been difficult for his son.
"He has had some bullying on the bus that he's had to deal with and then, he's had some bullying out at Indian Springs that we've had to deal with," Bowers said.
Fellow parent Sarah Hickam tried sending her second grader to Indian Springs for a little while, before eventually deciding to home-school.
"For him, the day started at 6 o'clock, when we left the house, and he didn't get home from school until 3 or 3:30 and he's 7 years old," Hickam said. "I couldn't do it to him anymore. It was too much."
While parents like Josh Bowers are contemplating charter school if Lundy doesn't reopen in time for the next school year, Hickam said she's thinking of moving off the mountain altogether.
"We can't sustain a life for him up here if there's not some kind of a school," Hickam said.
They're holding out hope that Lundy will reopen in August but say they don't really know what's going on. From the outside, parents say the school building appears functional and they've even seen people going in and out. They said they haven't seen any repair work being done in quite some time.
"It's the lack of communication. We really don't hear much from Clark County, the school district, on what's going on with the school. That's frustrating. I've emailed them a few times and never gotten a response back from them," Bowers said.
Parents say the lack of information or updates has them wondering if CCSD is just looking for an excuse to shut down the small school for good.
"[The district] should have the same responsibility to the students in this community as it does for the students in town," Hickam said.
Parents added that Lundy is a staple of Old Town and means a lot to the community, beyond its educational value.
"It's the community's gathering place. Before Hilary, we were actually planning for the fall festival, which is something that all the mountain residents come down for," Bowers said. "It's something we've had up here for so long and it's an integrated part of the community. We'd lose a lot by losing the school."
Channel 13 reached out to CCSD officials repeatedly. However, the district did not provide an interview or answer our questions about the status of repairs at Lundy or why a temporary space to teach kids on Mt. Charleston wasn't chosen, even though parents say multiple spaces are available.
A CCSD spokesperson just said, "As communicated to families in Sept. 2023, given the damage to the building, as well as the surrounding infrastructure, the District does not expect to be able to utilize the building for instructional services during this school year."
Officials pointed us to a document, which showed that on September 14, 2023, the Facilities Division entered into a design agreement with Ethos Three Architecture, in the amount of $124,500.00, for the emergency site assessment at Earl B. Lundy Elementary School.
Then, on November 9, 2023, the Facilities Services Unit entered into a construction agreement with Martin-Harris Construction, LLC, in the amount of $120,684.27, for the emergency temporary CLSM for earth shoring and debris haul-off at Earl B. Lundy Elementary School.
According to the document, "this action, taken under the emergency provisions of state law, protected students and staff."
So, for now, the uncertainty continues for families who depend on this mainstay of Mt. Charleston.
