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Student advisory council urges CCSD to expand safety videos and create mental-health working group
Summary
Students on the superintendent's Student Advisory Council recommended districtwide safety videos tailored by grade and formation of a student-support working group to address gaps in school social workers and mental-health coverage.
Three senior members of the Clark County School District's Superintendent Student Advisory Council told the Board of School Trustees on May 8 that students want clearer, more consistent communication about emergency procedures and better access to mental-health supports.
The students' presentation, made by Ramon Moreno (College of Southern Nevada High School), Cecily (Silvally) Gomez (Chaparral High School) and Cameron Skansen (Advanced Technologies Academy), focused on two recommendations: a districtwide safety video shown to students at the start of each semester and the creation of a student-support working group of students and mental-health professionals to recommend systemwide changes.
The students said current emergency communication is uneven across campus settings, creating uncertainty about what to do during non-classroom periods such as lunch or passing time. They recommended a single, age-appropriate video for distribution to all schools: an elementary version with simple language and interactive elements, and more detailed middle- and high-school versions that address passing periods and other higher-risk times. Trustees and staff asked that traffic safety be included as well; students suggested peer presenters and short social-media segments to increase retention.
Students also urged creation of a CCSD student-support working group to study gaps in mental-health coverage and produce a report. They proposed a group that would meet quarterly and include administrators, mental-health professionals and 25 students selected by application, with the goal of producing concrete recommendations for the Student Services Division and the board. Council members said 253 CCSD schools currently do not have a school social worker and that the district's current ratio was described to the council as roughly one social worker per 1,593 students compared with a national average of about 1 per 250; students said that lack of on-site professionals limits prevention and follow-up services.
Trustees praised the students' participation and asked for specifics on delivery, reach and sustainability. Superintendent Dr. Jesus Ebert (on the dais) said student voice is central to her work and pledged to expand opportunities for students to be heard. Trustees and staff discussed peer-delivered content, short social-media clips to complement mandatory viewing and summer planning to target incoming kindergarteners and seniors. No formal action was taken; the presentation was informational.
The students concluded by asking the board for continued engagement, saying that clearer communication and stronger school-level supports would increase safety, attendance and sense of belonging.
The district communications team and the chief student-services staff remained the contact points for next steps; trustees asked staff to return with operational proposals and timelines if feasible.
