Teacher’s union official sues CCSD over arrest at school board meeting

A teacher and union official is suing the school district over her arrest at a school board meeting.

Kristan Nigro, a Clark County School District teacher and executive board member of the Clark County Education Association, was arrested at a Clark County School Board meeting in August 2023 amid protests over contract negotiations.

Nigro faced a misdemeanor charge of disturbing the peace before Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Amy Chelini dismissed the case in January 2024.

Nigro filed a lawsuit in District Court on Friday against the school district, the CCSD Police Department, CCSD Police Chief Mike Blackeye and former School Board President Evelyn Garcia Morales. The lawsuit makes seven claims for relief, including violation of due process, malicious prosecution, violation of civil rights and false arrest.

CCSD said it does not comment on pending litigation. Neither CCSD Police nor Garcia Morales responded to request for comment on Tuesday.

Nigro was arrested after a protest with an estimated 5,000 demonstrators, according to union officials. It came amidst a heated battle between the union and the school district over pay raises. The two entities eventually reached an agreement in December 2023.

Once inside of the meeting, union members began chanting, “CCSD’s on fire. Jara is a liar,” referring to then-Superintendent Jesus Jara.

Private security personnel talked with a few educators in the room to ask them to be quiet. Police removed three people, including Nigro and Jim Frazee, the union’s vice president, after they were asked to leave but didn’t.

As police were talking to Nigro, union members chanted, “Let her stay.”

Nigro later used a megaphone outside to tell protesters that she was arrested, let go and received a ticket.

The lawsuit said that Nigro was “in peaceful protest” along with 50 to 60 other people inside.

“It’s just amazing that they singled out one of the most highly respected teachers in the community for her leadership and philanthropic endeavors to parade in front of the whole world in cuffs for this harmless protest that the county deserved,” Nigro’s attorney, George Robinson, said in a message.

The complaint said Nigro was “specifically targeted.”

At the time of Nigro’s arrest, she was a kindergarten teacher at Schorr Elementary School. She also worked as and got paid about $400 per month for working as a “teacher leader” with the Employee Onboarding Department, according to Robinson.

The complaint said that Nigro lost the position as a teacher leader as a result of her arrest.

The lawsuit accused the officers of “parading her in handcuffs in the view of everyone in attendance including new teachers to whom Plaintiff was entrusted to orient.”

“Really sad that my client had to go in front of the parents of her kindergarten students the next day in shame for this whole debacle,” Robinson wrote.

The complaint also said that the state initially told the court it was seeking jail time as a result.

“There was no probable cause to arrest the Plaintiff for her lawful exercise of her First Amendment Right to Free Speech. This has been conclusively established by her case being dismissed due to the State being unable to craft any set of facts which would satisfy ANY elements of ANY crime,” the complaint said.

Contact Katie Futterman at kfutterman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ktfutts on X and @katiefutterman.bsky.social.