National and local headlines about school shootings and violence in our schools continue to concern parents, students, and hardworking school staff.
Safety is always top of mind in schools.
But increased violence over the last few years is putting many on edge about working in our schools.
"It's scary," said Marie Neisess, a former teacher and now president of the Clark County Education Association, also referred to as the teacher's union.
Neisess says the clock is ticking and changes in schools need to happen now when it comes to safety.
"We need to make sure that we are super vigilant and doing everything we can," she said.
Monday, there was a shooting at a Nashville, Tennessee private school where six people, including three children, were killed.
It had staff and families feeling devastated and uneasy around schools across the country.
Two days later there was a hard lockdown at Shadow Ridge High School in Las Vegas after a student made a comment about having a gun and “going to take care of business.”
"As soon as I received a text about that occurring, it just it was like somebody punched me in the stomach because it is concerning is what happened in Nashville going to happen here?" said Neisess.
No handgun was found in this incident.
But there have been 28 handguns confiscated on CCSD campuses so far this school year.
That's on top of more than 140 knives and several other weapons.
Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo said during a press conference last week that since 2019 there has been a 46 percent increase in violence and sexual assaults reported in CCSD.
During that press conference the teacher who was sexually assaulted and nearly killed at Eldorado High School last April, was identified in public for the first time.
"Sade and these teachers can attest to the impact school violence has had on their classrooms," Lombardo said during the event.
Teachers are constantly sharing their fears for their safety and students' safety.
"I was assaulted twice by the same student," said Jessica Jones, in an interview with News 3 on March 17th. "Both times I ended up having to go to the hospital. I had my arm in a sling for months."
The conditions are impacting the morale of educators.
The CCEA believes safety can be addressed by our lawmakers in Carson City.
"We don't have enough counselors, social workers, psychologists," said Neisess.
She says another major step in regard to safety is addressing teacher shortages.
Neisess says that is something the CCEA is helping within the legislature.
"As a classroom teacher, if I am sitting with 40 kids or more in my classroom, managing the classroom is a little more difficult than if I had a reasonable class size, because then I am more aware of exactly what's occurring," she said.
The CCEA also supports efforts right now to change some discipline laws so that violent students can be taken out of the classroom.
"We need to make sure that there's things in place like support systems that are in place, progressive discipline," said Neisess. "And also, what I hear from educators all the time is the ability to move a child out of their classroom and for a temporary placement to say, I don't feel safe, my students don't feel safe. I need this child removed."
Are you a teacher who'd like to share your thoughts on school safety? Parents and students, what do you think needs to be done?
Send your ideas on this as well as tips on issues impacting our schools to the Crisis in the Classroom tipline: email schooltips@news3lv.com or call 702-805-0489.