Henderson child abuse case spotlights work of CCSD truancy officers

Joshua Peguero
·2 min read
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LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – A case of child abuse in Henderson is spotlighting the importance of the work Clark County School District truancy officers do each day.

Jeffery Scanlan, 41, and Misty Scanlan, 46, are each facing one charge of child abuse and are accused of locking their 11-year-old boy in a cage, according to police.

On Tuesday, a CCSD truancy officer was performing a welfare check at their home, according to an arrest report.

Tony Stark is a truancy officer based at Las Vegas High School. Part of his job includes going to the homes of chronically absent children.

“I get involved after letters get sent out, calls have been sent out,” Stark said.

On Thursday, he visited at least 25 different houses where kids were chronically absent, which means a student missed more than 10% of their school days.

Those procedures that Stark learned helped lead to the arrest of the Scanlan parents.

A truancy officer based at a Henderson school stopped at the Scanlan home near Wigwam and Green Valley parkways after their 11-year-old son was chronically absent.

No one answered the door, however, according to the police report, the truancy officer could hear a child screaming and a gate rattling inside. The child’s parents bonded out of jail on Wednesday morning.

“You see those kinds of movies and you don’t believe that is up the street,” a neighbor, who wished to remain anonymous, told 8 News Now.

“I just can’t imagine how or why anyone would do that to a child,” another neighbor said.

The district has taken steps to address the number of students absent. At the start of the 2023-2034 school year, CCSD doubled its attendance/truancy officers on staff to 64.

Stark told 8 News Now parents need to be more involved in their children’s lives.

“I think we have an important role. I also think that it’s not noticed at times,” Stark added.

CCSD has partnered with several agencies and businesses to help them improve student attendance.

The district has also launched its “Every Day Matters” campaign to emphasize the importance of daily attendance.

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