Las Vegas Parents Fight for New School Crosswalk After Close Calls

Parents at Beatty Elementary in Las Vegas are calling for urgent safety improvements as students face dangerous conditions during daily drop-off and pickup. Concerns center on the lack of a crosswalk near the school's side gate, where most families park and cross children across multiple lanes of traffic. Frequent jaywalking, speeding, and illegal stopping have led to numerous near-misses.

Gretchen Lang, a mother at the school, has witnessed the dangers firsthand. “I have seen multiple people almost get hit, a lot of kids have almost gotten run over. Unfortunately, it's a very unsafe situation,” Lang says. She emphasized the need for proactive action, adding, “It shouldn't take the, ‘What if a kid is going to get hit,' or the ‘Hey, a kid did get hit' for something drastic to happen. There's no reason it needs to go that far.”

Lang notes that the nearest existing crosswalks are too far for many parents to use during hectic drop-off times. “If we park right here, we'd be walking all the way to that school zone and back down, and it ends up just being too far for parents to do it,” Lang explains. She has started an online petition and contacted local authorities in hopes of getting a new crosswalk installed by Thanksgiving break.

Clark County currently provides crossing guards at selected crosswalks and is looking into the concerns. County officials such as Commissioner Michael Naft have recognized the problem and talked about relocating the entrance gate and reviewing engineering solutions. They caution, however, that crosswalks must be placed in locations that are safe and appropriate.

School district leaders are working alongside the county and municipalities on a comprehensive community-wide traffic safety plan expected by spring 2027. In the meantime, residents are encouraged to report traffic safety issues through official channels. For numerous parents, the main issue still is the lack of a close, convenient crosswalk that actually tells heads on work or every school day.