Program proposed to improve safety of children

Adrienne Packer

Wednesday, Sept. 8, 1999 | 9:51 a.m.

Prompted by the horrifying shooting rampage at Columbine High School in Colorado last spring, County Commissioner Erin Kenny is crafting a program she hopes will protect Southern Nevada's children.

Kenny and School Board member Susan Brager are trying to pull various agencies and organizations such as the United Way to launch the program called "Safe Places to Live, Learn and Play."

The goals of the program range from creating a list of available services that will be easily accessible by parents and students to encouraging schools to require youngsters to wear uniforms.

"There are resources in the community that people don't know exist," Kenny told fellow commissioners Tuesday. "We want to make them available so parents have one central location as opposed to trying to figure out where to go."

She also hopes to provide more after-school activities for teenagers, who may get into trouble when there is nothing for them to do.

In Las Vegas the problem might be more magnified than in other metropolitan areas, she said. The community ranks high in the number of high school dropouts, juvenile crime and teenage pregnancy, according to county reports.

The area's 24-hour atmosphere means parents work awkward hours and aren't always home in the evenings, which means they aren't as involved in their children's lives, Kenny said.

"Is our community at risk?" Kenny asked. "If you look at it objectively, you have to say yes. We need to prevent tragedies rather than just responding to them."

Kenny said her program is in the early stages, and funding has yet to be identified. Her colleagues also questioned how Kenny planned to get parents involved.

"These are goals people aspired to meet in many, many, many ways," said Commissioner Myrna Williams. "Methodologically, we weren't as successful as we would have liked. Let's not repeat what we have done in the past."