LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Before the start of this school year, Channel 13 reported on a Clark County School District decision aimed at reducing distractions in classrooms. Signal-blocking cell phone pouches were purchased for every CCSD middle and high school student, costing the district millions.
But now that internal budget issues have come to light, some are questioning if that investment was worth it.
Context: The District ordered 282,935 pouches, each costing $9, for an approximate total of $2.6 million. This purchase was funded by the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, also known as ESSER.
“I do believe there are better ways to combat this issue,” said Charlize Leary, a CCSD freshman.
Over the summer break, Leary started an online petition hoping to convince CCSD leadership not to purchase signal blocking pouches.
“This is definitely happening. The cell phone bags have already been purchased,” said Kevin McPartlin, CCSD assistant superintendent during a press conference in July.
At the time, Leary’s concern was safety and that she and her peers wouldn’t be able to contact loved ones in case of an emergency. Fast forward to today, and she says the pouches aren’t the problem, it’s something else.
"Our teachers have not been strictly implementing these pouches," Leary said.
CCSD argued the pouches were intended to help students focus and minimize digital distractions. When discussing these pouches, it's important to note that students are required to put their phones in airplane mode before placing them into a pouch. For some, that raises the question: Was it really worth it to spend millions of dollars on something airplane mode already does?
Channel 13 did reach out to CCSD a week ago asking them if purchasing these pouches was the right move. As of Monday night, we are still waiting on their response.
The district is now facing a potential budget deficit — something we've reported on since CCSD's chief financial officer was let go on Sept. 20.
CCSD has not yet publicly clarified how much of a budget deficit there is. A statement released by the district late Friday outlined some of the factors contributing to its financial turmoil, like changes in enrollment, salary increases, and cybersecurity expenses.
Gov. Joe Lombardo is now calling for an investigation into what went wrong.
