The Washoe County School District approved funding for school police body cameras on Tuesday.
The approval secures another five-year deal with Axon, worth $189,047.22.
The School District Police Department has been using these Axon body cameras for years, so the approval of this funding ensures that the department will meet state regulations.
"It's NRS 289.030 that requires uniform officers to have a body worn camera, a recording device, and it also gets down to department policy of when that is going to be utilized, but it is a requirement," said Chief Tracy Moore, with the Washoe County School District School Police.
Chief Moore add that the body cameras must be recording during any interviews, foot pursuits, investigations, and other interactions.
He also says this money committed over the five-year period is a part of an refurbishment program which will ensure the cameras are operating properly at all times.
We also heard an update on the 'Phone Away and Learn Today' program.
While there have been some bumps in the road as the program began halfway through the school year, members with the project say most feedback so far has been good.
"Generally speaking, the feedback has been positive. Again, once families know what the expectations are, they are a huge partner in this, families working with us and with their students on being responsible with their devices," said Kris Hackbusch, area superintendent for the Washoe County School District.
Since the launch, 456 certified staff members have given feedback, with over half of them saying there are less distractions during class, and that students are learning more.
However, less than half say that enforcing the rules has been easy, and students say that enforcement hasn't been clear, and the implementation is inconsistent, with most of that feedback coming from the high school level.
After this presentation, the school district says they will go over more data at the end of the current school year, work to fix any issues that come up, and finalize their plan for the full scale launch of the 'Phone Away and Learn Today' program for the 2025-2026 school year.
