4 Las Vegas Valley schools cancel classes due to teacher shortage amid lawsuit against union

Four schools in the Las Vegas Valley shut down Tuesday due a lack of educators able to show up for class after a lawsuit was launched against a teachers union.

Southwest Career and Technical Academy’s website shows a pop-up message that tells parents to “not send your children to campus today.”

“There are an unexpected number of licensed staff/teachers absent from school today and we have made the difficult decision to not have school today,” Principal Donna Levy said. 

“We appreciate your understanding and apologize for the inconvenience. I will send you a message later today to provide additional information regarding classes for tomorrow. Thank you,” Levy added.

Three additional schools in the area, two elementary and one middle, also closed down Tuesday due to a teacher shortage, according to local outlet Fox 5. 

“Due to a high number of unexpected teacher absences, the following schools have canceled classes for Tuesday, September 12, 2023,” Clark County School District (CCSD) said in a statement, according to Fox 5. 

While many areas across the country have experienced teacher shortages, prompting action from governors on how to recruit more educators, the problem at CCSD is more complicated. 

On Monday, CCSD announced it was filing an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against the Clark County Education Association (CCEA).

CCSD decided to file the lawsuit due to the “escalating nature of the rolling sickouts” and said there was “no indication that they will cease without court intervention and injunctive relief.”

“The actions of licensed educators have forced the closure of three CCSD schools and severely disrupted the operations of two additional schools through a targeted and coordinated rolling-sickout strike,” CCSD said in a statement Monday. 

However, CCEA previously told KTNV Las Vegas it had nothing to do with the absences and “will make its position clear in court.” 

The Hill has reached out to CCSD and CCEA for comment.