Clark County’s school traffic fixes face an August 6 start as families return

With Clark County School District students returning Thursday, August 6, 2026, Clark County is putting immediate school-zone traffic changes into place after a working-group report counted 427 children struck while traveling to or from school during the 2025-26 school year.

The announced Clark County measures include repainting crosswalks, adding no-U-turn signs, extending school-zone flasher periods and increasing law-enforcement presence during the first two weeks of school. They are the first visible steps after the School Traffic Safety Working Group released its report July 7 with 75 recommendations for agencies across the Las Vegas Valley.

What changes first

In Clark County jurisdiction, school-zone flashers are planned to operate 40 minutes before school and 10 minutes after the first bell. In the afternoon, they are planned to begin 10 minutes before dismissal and continue for 40 minutes afterward.

Andrew Bennett of the Clark County Office of Traffic Safety told FOX5 that the longer periods are intended to give students additional protection when they arrive early for breakfast, band, sports and other activities, and when they remain on campus after dismissal.

Clark County public-works crews were expected to work before the first day of school to bring areas around schools up to standard, with signs placed or replaced as needed. Law enforcement is expected to provide extra presence outside school zones during the first two weeks of school.

School-zone fines doubled beginning July 1, according to FOX5. Drivers should allow additional time near school entrances, marked crossings and dismissal areas beginning August 6 and watch for changed markings, signs and flashing signals.

Report identified 427 child strikes

The working group’s report used data from the 2025-26 school year, during which 427 children were reported struck while traveling to or from school. County officials said the data generally covers crashes from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. involving someone under 18 traveling to or from school.

The report contains 75 recommendations across education, enforcement, engineering, planning and policy. The official county meeting minutes say the recommendations are divided across four timelines: 19 immediate actions, 20 short-term actions, 20 midterm actions and 16 long-term actions.

The recommendations are not a single completed program. The county minutes state that each jurisdiction must work on implementation, while the immediate measures described by county officials apply to Clark County jurisdiction. The same markings, signs, flasher schedule or enforcement presence should not be assumed at every school.

At its July 7 meeting, the Clark County Board of Commissioners received the Office of Traffic Safety report and directed staff to return 30 days after the school year began with a briefing on progress implementing the plan’s recommendations.

County action differs from city programs

The immediate measures described by county officials apply to Clark County jurisdiction. The City of Las Vegas has its own Vision Zero and Safe Routes to School work, so conditions can vary where a school or roadway falls within city limits or another municipality.

Las Vegas said in February that its Safe Routes to School program had prioritized 22 schools for walk audits and safety assessments, identifying 733 safety improvements. Those figures provide city background but do not replace the working group’s separate 427-child figure or establish that every recommendation has been completed.

What families and commuters should expect

The August 6 rollout is expected to bring the most immediate changes around affected Clark County schools: refreshed crosswalk markings, additional no-U-turn signage, longer warning periods and more visible enforcement during the opening two weeks.

Families should watch for updated signs and pavement markings, while drivers should slow down, follow school-zone restrictions and plan for heavier traffic around entrances, crossings and dismissal areas. The changes are intended to cover more of the time students are arriving and leaving, but they do not mean every school will receive identical improvements.

The broader 75-recommendation plan remains a work in progress. Its implementation will require continued coordination among Clark County, the City of Las Vegas and other municipalities, CCSD, transportation agencies and law enforcement, followed by the county’s planned progress review after the school year begins.

Sources

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