Congresswoman Lee Urges Congress to Pass Funding to Reduce Traffic Deaths Around Clark County Schools

LAS VEGAS, NV – Today, Congresswoman Susie Lee (NV-03) called on her colleagues in Congress to swiftly pass funding that will allow the City of Las Vegas to improve safety infrastructure in school zones. Recent reporting highlighted the community’s concerns about student safety in high-traffic areas around schools.  

“New reporting has highlighted concerns I’ve been hearing from parents and teachers across southern Nevada: we need to make our roads and sidewalks safer for students on their way to and from school,” said Congresswoman Susie Lee. “That’s why I fought to include investments to improve safety in school zones in our government funding bill this year. We can all agree that we need to keep our children safe on their way to school, and I won’t stop working until Las Vegas has the resources to make these much-needed improvements.”

Today, the Las Vegas Review-Journal published a report highlighting concerns from parents and teachers about student safety in school zones. Read more below:

• Former Diskin Elementary School teacher Lenny Lither said he is frustrated with the Clark County School District’s response to traffic safety, especially after an 18-year-old northwest valley student was killed in a crosswalk near her school.
• Other parents, principals, teachers, administrators and city employees are worried about student safety in school zones, too.
• During the 2024-2025 school year, over 100 messages were sent to a school district email designed to address traffic concerns.
• Later this month, CCSD officials, including district leadership and the police department’s traffic unit, will meet with officials from police departments and municipalities across the valley to work on a coordinated approach to traffic safety in school zones, school district officials said in an email statement. The School Traffic Safety Working Group will strive to assess traffic risks and how to intervene.
• Public concerns about school zone safety were heightened in May after Arbor View High School student McKenzie Scott was struck and killed by a driver indicted on driving under the influence of alcohol and reckless driving. The senior, just 25 days from graduation, was using the Buffalo Drive crosswalk by the school entrance.
• After she was killed, parents and concerned students emailed teachers and CCSD. One parent emailed Arbor View principal Duane Bickmore to propose a parent-run volunteer crossing guard group. Bickmore urged the parent to press the City Council for crossing guards.
• “Unfortunately, all things with crosswalks, crossing guards, lights, speed limits, etc. are done through the city and not the school district,” Bickmore wrote. “I wouldn’t be allowed with liability issues to organize anything that has to do with traffic or crossing guards.”

The full story is available here. 

As part of the fiscal year 2026 funding cycle, Congresswoman Lee requested $3 million in federal funding for Las Vegas in the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies spending bill. This funding would allow the City of Las Vegas to work towards its Vision Zero Action Plan, which aims to eliminate traffic-related deaths and serious injuries by 2040. Specifically, the investment would help fund the installation of new visual alert systems, additional signage, and pavement markings in 281 school zones. Nearly 25% of the City’s school zones are located in High Injury Network (HIN) corridors, where traffic fatalities and serious injuries are heavily concentrated. 

Congresswoman Lee is southern Nevada’s only representative on the House Appropriations Committee, the committee charged with writing government funding bills each year. On the committee, she has fought to bring critical federal investments back to southern Nevada. Through her work on the committee and her advocacy to ensure southern Nevada receives its fair share of federal investments, Congresswoman Lee helped return over $5 billion to Nevadans from 2023-2024 alone.

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