by Penka Arsova
LaCorte News
A school district in Las Vegas, one of the largest in the country, is easing off the lockdowns after recording a jump in student suicides.
The story: The Clark County School District in Nevada, ranked the fifth largest in the country, will begin offering in-person classes to some students in a move that seeks to prioritize students’ mental health over the coronavirus pandemic. The board voted earlier this month to partly reopen the schools for certain elementary grades and struggling classes because there was a rise in student suicides in the county.
In a statement, the district said schools will be allowed to bring back “high-need students” and that teachers and principals will determine who falls into the category. The process, the school district said, will be invite-only and voluntary.
The New York Times notes that Las Vegas is seeing a high number of cases but that the district is worried about how stripping students of the opportunity to attend school in person is affecting them.