My child participated in a Get Outdoors Nevada field trip to the Clark County Wetlands Park a few years ago and absolutely loved it.
After the successful field trip, there was chatter about his school potentially getting a garden, but the school struggled to get it up and running. The school is among grounds that are managed by the Bureau of Land Management that Rachel Bergren mentioned in her Nov.21 guest column, “Local control of school land is a win for everyone.”
Of course, all kinds of things can be factors in programs not coming to fruition. However, in this case, I think management is a main factor. The school just across the road has a garden but is not managed by the federal agency.
Our school’s principals and teachers have a hard enough time navigating all the challenges our district faces. Having to negotiate with a federal land management agency about school ground and extracurricular changes shouldn’t be one of them.
That’s why I was excited to hear about Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto and Rep. Dina Titus’ bill to give those closest to our students more control over what types of programs and opportunities they can offer. We should be doing all we can within our power to keep improving our schools, and I hope this bill becomes law to do just that.