23 weapons confiscated at CCSD schools in August

Nine guns and seven knives were among the 23 total weapons confiscated by the Clark County School District Police Department in August.

The total includes a gun found in the Legacy High School parking lot that allegedly belonged to Jynnell McClellan, 52, formerly a substitute at the school.

McClellan was assigned to Legacy and had been employed by the district since May 2015. She was removed from the CCSD substitute pool and is no longer eligible to substitute in the district, officials said.

A CCSD “firearms confiscation report” for Aug. 1 to Aug. 27 was posted online and updated this week.

While confiscations of an average of nearly a weapon a day might be considered troublesome, a CCSD police official says expanded reporting of weapon confiscations is the reason.

“Any gun is one too many,” Lt. Brian Zink said. “But we have started school years with more weapons (being found).”

Zink said he believes members of the media were seeking more details on weapons found, so “somebody in the district made the decision to have expanded reporting, and that’s what we are doing.”

On Aug. 16, two guns were confiscated from a car driven by juveniles who had just left Legacy, but the weapons were taken during a vehicle search in front of the campus, Zink said, adding that the juveniles said they had just left the school.

Students were responsible for 11 of the weapons, while nine others were attributed to adults. Possession of the three others could not be determined, Zink said.

Of seven knives confiscated, all were found on CCSD campuses, according to the report.

Three were found at Desert Pines High School, two at Legacy and one each at Green Valley High School and Bartlett Elementary School.

“We have over 350 schools, so it’s actually a very low number,” Zink said of the knives found. “One is too many.”

Five unspecified weapons were found on campuses.

Contact Marvin Clemons at mclemons@reviewjournal.com.