Associated Press


LAS VEGAS — The Clark County School District has gone to court to stop a Las Vegas-area teacher’s union from carrying out a threatened Sept. 10 strike. Teachers are seeking more pay for continuing education.

The school district on Monday asked a judge to certify that it’s against state law for members of the Clark County Education Association walk off the job. Teacher strikes are illegal under Nevada law and if a judge issues an order against any strike, the union can be fined up to $50,000 a day and striking employees can be punished or fired.

The school district, the fifth largest in the country, said in a statement Tuesday that the union agreed to mediation talks but the strike threat remains. It said the children should not be treated as pawns in the dispute.

“Enough with the scare tactics and political tug of war that only leaves the most vulnerable in the worst situation,” the district said.

John Vellardita, executive director of the union, said, “They should settle the contract. Pay these teachers what they’re owed. It’s that simple.”

The dispute follows similar teacher walkouts over low pay across the country in recent years and comes as teachers in Chicago are inching toward a possible strike in late September.

A Nevada judge set a Sept. 30 hearing on the emergency request from Clark County School District. It wasn’t immediately clear if the district, which has 320,000 students, would seek to have the hearing date moved up.