School district official faces DUI felony charge

Jace Radke

Friday, Jan. 3, 2003 | 9:54 a.m.

A regional director for the Clark County School District who formerly headed up the district's police force is facing a charge of felony driving under the influence of alcohol in a head-on collision.

Jack Lazzarotto, the 54-year-old director of alternative services for the school district's east region, was reportedly driving on the wrong side of the street when he struck an oncoming car, Metro Police said.

The accident happened at about 2:30 a.m. on Saturday as Lazzarotto drove southbound in the northbound lanes of Buffalo Drive near Charleston Boulevard. Lazzarotto's Dodge Stratus collided with a Jeep Grand Cherokee headed south on Buffalo, police said.

The driver of the Grand Cherokee suffered a broken hand and a passenger in the sport utility vehicle suffered minor injuries. Lazzarotto suffered minor injuries in the accident.

Lazzarotto is one of five directors responsible for overseeing alternative programs in the school district's five regions. Among Lazzarotto's duties are administrating the alternative schools in the district's east region.

The schools are designed to give flexibility to students who have not done well in a traditional school setting. Students who miss a semester, can't go to school during daytime hours or have had disciplinary problems may attend alternative schools.

A spokeswoman with the Clark County School District would not comment on the accident or the charges against Lazzarotto, and refused to comment on whether Lazzarotto is being investigated or disciplined by the school district.

She said it was a "personnel matter."

GeorgeAnn Rice, school district assistant superintendent for human resources, said that she couldn't comment on the allegations against Lazzarotto, but did say that generally when there is a felony charge brought against a district employee, the employee is suspended pending the outcome of the charges and that an internal investigation is started.

Calls to Lazzarotto's office were answered by his secretary, who said that Lazzarotto has not been in the office lately.

Lazzarotto has been with the school district since 1977 and was made chief of police in the mid-1990s. He has served as director of alternative programs for the east region for about a year.