A parent-led crew that started by informally guarding a single crosswalk outside Arbor View High School is suddenly in high demand across the Las Vegas Valley. The group, launched after a deadly crash in the school’s Buffalo Drive crosswalk last year, now finds itself fielding requests from other neighborhoods and eyeing expansion to additional campuses as student-involved traffic incidents climb. Organizers say a mix of trained volunteers and basic safety gear has made a difference, but they still need many more people if they are going to keep up.
Clark County schools Superintendent Jhone Ebert flagged the situation in her State of the District address, noting that more than 220 students have been struck by vehicles between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. so far this year, nearly double the roughly 120 incidents reported the previous year, according to KTNV. Ebert also pointed to factors such as more crashes involving e-bikes and scooters, along with higher reporting, as possible reasons behind the surge.
From Arbor View to a valleywide push
Walk Safely LV grew out of grief and daily frustration after the May 2025 crash that killed Arbor View senior McKenzie Scott, when parents began showing up every day in safety vests with handheld stop signs, as reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Founder Krista Holloway and a small circle of parents initially stepped in to protect students at crossings where paid guards were not assigned; what started with roughly eight to ten volunteers has since grown into a more formal nonprofit. Volunteers say that simply having clearly identified adults at the curb noticeably changes how drivers behave during busy drop-off and pick-up windows.
How the volunteer program works
Signing up with Walk Safely LV starts with a short questionnaire, followed by three days of training and two supervised shifts before volunteers are allowed to lead a crossing on their own, KTNV reports. “It was scary. It’s not a call a parent wants to get,” said Ashley Brewer, whose son was hit in the same Arbor View crosswalk just weeks before Scott’s death. Organizers say volunteers are outfitted with reflective vests, cones and handheld stop paddles, and are urged to coordinate with school administrators and public-works officials instead of freelancing in traffic.
City moves to add crossing guards
Local leaders are starting to follow the parents’ lead. The City of Las Vegas approved funding to place crossing guards at the 16 middle schools in its jurisdiction and at three high schools, at an additional cost of $415,000 for this school year, according to expanded school crossing guards. The move follows pilot programs that showed drivers were more likely to follow the rules when guards were stationed at school crosswalks, as detailed by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. City officials say hiring will be phased in, so not every campus will see a guard immediately.
Street fixes, flashers and repainting
The city also ordered a traffic study and has since installed pedestrian-activated overhead flashers, fresh pavement striping and new signage along Buffalo Drive near Arbor View High, according to a City of Las Vegas news release. Officials say the changes are intended to boost visibility for both drivers and pedestrians while longer-term engineering fixes and enforcement strategies are weighed.
Legal aftermath
The crash that galvanized parents left an 18-year-old student dead and led to DUI and reckless driving charges for the driver, local outlets reported. Coverage from FOX5 noted that a breath test showed a blood-alcohol level well above the legal limit, intensifying public calls for tougher enforcement and safer crossings near schools.
What organizers say they need next
Walk Safely LV says requests are pouring in from neighborhoods all over the valley, and the group wants to help more campuses, but any expansion depends on recruiting additional trained volunteers and securing more funding, according to its website at Walk Safely LV. For now, the plan is for volunteers and newly hired crossing guards to work side by side as families and officials try to prevent another tragedy in the school crosswalks of Las Vegas.
