Nevada parents push back on grade placement rules for students returning to public school

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Some Nevada families say the Clark County School District is placing students in the wrong grade when they return to public school after time away — and a local nonprofit is now pushing for change.

Erin Phillips, CEO of Power 2 Parent, a Nevada nonprofit focused on parental advocacy, said she has heard from families across the valley frustrated over grade placement rules tied to age and enrollment history.

The issue centers on students who stepped away from the district for a year — through homeschooling, private school, or other options — and later tried to re-enter at the same academic level. Some parents say they were told their child would instead be placed according to age, not academic readiness.

WATCH | Nevada parents challenge CCSD grade placement rules

"Unfortunately, they don't look at students as individuals. They make these blanket policies, and they try to push this one size fits all conversation over every kid, and every kid is different," Phillips said.

Phillips, a mother of five, said her own family experienced the issue firsthand. One of her children struggled academically after later being diagnosed with ADHD, so the family decided to give him what she calls a "bonus year" at home before returning to school. When they tried to re-enroll him, she said they were told he would have to move ahead a grade level anyway.

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"It's totally unfair to these kids. I mean, these kids didn't make this decision, first of all, their parents did. Their parents made the decision without knowing this was going to hurt their kids. And again, there's a number of reasons why parents have chosen to give their kids an extra year,"Phillips said.

Power 2 Parent argues the policy disproportionately affects lower-income families who may not have the ability to pay for private school or homeschool long term. Phillips also points to COVID learning loss, saying many students lost critical classroom time during the pandemic and could benefit from additional academic flexibility.

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"This district kept our kids online, not in a classroom for two full school years. The amount of learning loss and mental health issues that we have, we've given these kids, the least they can do is give them an extra year of school, and especially these grades of these kids that are coming up right now. These are the kids that are the most affected," Phillips said.

Power 2 Parent says it is now exploring possible next steps, including advocating for policy changes with the Clark County School District and potentially pushing for changes in Nevada state law.

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