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Esmeralda County School District is a public school district in Esmeralda County, Nevada. It is the smallest school district in Nevada. Its boundary is that of the county. The district has offices in Dyer and Goldfield.

As of May 2022, the school district operates 3 elementary and middle schools and one online high school; the district has no physical high school, and high school students are transported to Tonopah. All schools, including the online school, run on a four-day school week.

History

Between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Esmeralda County (like many of Nevada mining boomtowns) was home to several small rural schools, which were all served by their own independent school districts. 1907 saw these individual rural districts merged into the Fifth Supervision District of Nevada, a state school district that also served schools in Clark County, Nye County, and Lincoln County. However, the Fifth District and other state school districts were plagued by severe funding inequity.

Aware that Nevada public schools were facing significant financial difficulties, Governor Charles H. Russell appointed the School Survey Committee to assist in reorganizing the state's education system. With the advice of the Committee, the Nevada State Legislature passed new school-related legislation between 1955 and 1956, which ultimately dissolved the Supervision Districts and structured school districts based on county lines. The Committee also recommended that Esmeralda County's school district be merged with the Lincoln County School District and the southern segment of Nye County's district, as these were all rural areas; however, this recommendation was rejected, and the Esmeralda County School District became its own independent district.

While several high schools have previously operated in Esmeralda County itself, the county's last high school closed in 1953, and the reorganization of the school districts left Esmeralda County School District without a high school. Three years later, the Esmeralda County school board petitioned to merge with the Nye County School District, which ultimately proved unsuccessful: Nye County did not have the resources to support students in Esmeralda County. However, the counties formed an agreement to allow students in Esmeralda County to attend high school in Nye County.

Demographics

There were 101 students in the Esmeralda County School District in the 2020–2021 school year. The student body was 51.49% White, 35.64% Hispanic, 5.94% American Indian or Alaska Native, 5.94% of multiple races, and 0.99% Black. 13.86% of students had an Individualized Education Program, 9.9% were English language learners, and 98.02% met the state's definition of poverty.

Esmeralda County School District is the smallest school district in Nevada. The 2020–2021 school year saw an average class size of 8 students.

Education

All schools in the Esmeralda County School District operate on a four-day week to reduce expenses. Employees of the district typically serve multiple roles, with one or two teachers instructing multiple grades on various subjects, and other members of the district substituting for unavailable teachers or bus drivers.

Notably, the school district does not have a physical high school: Esmeralda County's high school students are bussed to Nye County for education and extracurricular activities. Students are provided with access to laptops and a tutor during the bus rides, as some students must commute for up to three hours. The district began operating the Esmeralda Virtual High School, an accredited online school, in August 2019; it serves all grades, including high school students.

Schools

The Esmeralda County School District has three K-8 schools. Students in grades 9 through 12 may either attend the online-only Esmeralda Virtual High School, or Tonopah High School in Tonopah, Nevada, which is operated by the Nye County School District.

K-8

• Goldfield Elementary School
• Silver Peak Elementary School
• Dyer Elementary School

Alternative schools

• Esmeralda Virtual High School

"English only" policy controversy

In October 2007, the district established a policy banning students from speaking Spanish on bus rides or in school. The policy arose when a district bus driver, who did not know Spanish, claimed that he believed two high school students used Spanish to hide that they were speaking rudely about the driver or an onboard tutor.

District officials stated the policy was meant to help English-speaking bus drivers maintain disciplinary control over students, as well as help Spanish-speaking students improve their English. However, the policy was swiftly criticized as discriminatory, with opponents pointing to the sizable Hispanic population in the school district—at the time, 12 of 30 high school students were Hispanic, and the letter informing families of the policy had been published in both English and Spanish. The American Civil Liberties Union argued that the policy not only prevented native Spanish speakers from having conversations for the entirety of the commute, it also interfered with all students' abilities to study during the long bus rides: Spanish-speaking students could not ask peers for homework help, and English-speaking students could not practice Spanish homework. Tonopah High School and the Nye County School District also lacked an English-only rule, and the principal of Tonopah High School was reportedly unaware of its neighbor's English-only rule. Critics added that it did not make sense to establish the policy in response to two students potentially misbehaving, and that it would have been sufficient to address the specific students.

The district initially defended its policy, stating that it was not meant to discriminate against Spanish-speaking students, and there was no set punishment if students continued speaking Spanish on the bus. In January 2008, the ACLU published a letter to the school district asking for the removal of the policy, as banning use of a language violated the First Amendment of the Constitution. District superintendent Robert Aumagher agreed to meet with the ACLU to amend the policy, and it was ultimately rolled back by February 2008.

See also

• Non-high school district

Notes

1. Nevada only required five students in a school to establish a new school district, and did not dissolve districts with more than two students.
2. 62.96% of students in the 2019–2020 school year met the state's definition of poverty.
3. Despite the school being labeled a high school, students of all grade levels may take online courses.

References

1. "Search for Public School Districts – District Detail for Esmeralda County School District". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
2. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Esmeralda County, NV" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved March 11, 2023. - Text list
3. "Home". Esmeralda County School District. Retrieved March 11, 2023. Goldfield Office: 233 Ramsey, Goldfield, NV 89013 Dyer Central Office: MM 11 Hwy 264, NV 89010
4. ^ "Esmeralda County Schools". Esmeralda County School District. October 8, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
5. ^ "Education | Welcome to Esmeralda County, NV". Access Esmeralda. Archived from the original on September 20, 2020. Retrieved April 1, 2007.
6. ^ "Historic School Buildings in the Evolution of the Fifth Supervision School District" (PDF). State Historic Preservation Office of Nevada. United States National Park Service. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 28, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
7. ^ "Reconfiguring the Structure of School Districts" (PDF). leg.state.nv.us. Legislative Counsel Bureau. January 1997. pp. 5–11. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
8. ^ "Goldfield High School Restoration". Goldfield Historical Society. Archived from the original on June 17, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
9. "Nye, Esmeralda, School Boards Discuss Merger". The Reno Gazette Journal. Tonopah, Nevada. October 25, 1956. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.
10. ^ "Esmeralda County | Nevada Accountability Report". nevadareportcard.nv.gov. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
11. ^ "Data Interaction for Nevada Accountability Portal". nevadareportcard.nv.gov. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
12. ^ Brean, Henry (June 5, 2010). "Esmeralda County has few people, fewer jobs, but don't talk about consolidation". The Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on April 27, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
13. ^ "Superintendent Report | Esmeralda County School District". Esmeralda County School District. August 9, 2019. Archived from the original on August 22, 2019. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
14. ^ Pratt, Timothy (December 19, 2007). "Students told to hold (native) tongue | Letter to rural parents: English only on bus, in school". The Las Vegas Sun. Archived from the original on October 10, 2008. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
15. "ACLU Asks Esmeralda County To Stop English-Only Rule On School Bus". aclu.org. The American Civil Liberties Union. January 31, 2008. Archived from the original on December 27, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
16. ^ "Letter to Esmeralda County School District Superintendent Robert Aumagher". aclu.org. The American Civil Liberties Union. January 31, 2008. Archived from the original on April 8, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
17. Loza, Cyndi (February 22, 2008). "School district rescinds ban against students using Spanish on buses". The Reno Gazette - Journal. p. A7 – via ProQuest.

External links

• Official website

• School districts in Nevada
• Education in Esmeralda County, Nevada