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At the most recent meeting of the Clark County School Board on Tuesday, February 25, a unique discussion took place. 

With the meeting held at the Clark County Board of Education office at 1600 W. Lexington Avenue, a conversation concerning whether the Clark County Youth Athletics organization could continue using the football field at Justice Elementary School occurred. 

A current rental agreement expires on July 1. 

CCPS Chief Operations Officer Brandon Watkins presented the Board and Clark County Youth Athletics with a new Memorandum of Agreement for CCYA to use the field up to fourth grade. 

Clark County Public Schools plans to add a fifth and sixth grade team in the next year. 

“[The MOA] really didn’t have any parameters on it previously…this year, with us starting a fifth and sixth grade football team, that was kind of the rationale for putting it through fourth grade.” 

However, not all were in favor of the MOA. 

Jimmy Day, President and Founder of Clark County Youth Athletics, spoke. 

“The thing that we’re here [about]…is just the use of the field. I understand that there’s a non-compete [rule] with the fifth and sixth grade,” he said. “There’s kids in this community that go to Calvary Christian [and] that go to private school. We have a flag program that we won’t be able to do now. We were told we could do it this year for spring, but we can’t do it after that.” 

Jessica Hopper, who serves as the organization’s travel cheer coordinator and is also the mother of a CCYA athlete, also spoke. 

“We are not trying to compete with the middle school,” she said, noting that her son expressed hopes to stay with CCYA. “We had 100 fifth and sixth grade boys last fall…between rec and travel…I don’t see how one team is going to be able to accommodate that…the kids are the ones that are [going to] get lost in this.” 

With only three board members present, the Board of Education agreed to table any decision until March when all members could be present.