School zone safety is a top concern for the school district and, of course, the community.

We hit the streets with CCSD Police who work every day to help keep students safe.

[swiping sound] When the sun comes up over schools like Spring Valley High School, it marks one of the busiest times of day for the Clark County School District Police Traffic Bureau.

-I'm giving you a warning on the U-turn.

-Sergeant Valdez and fellow officers see no shortage of drivers ignoring the rules in school zones.

-Pull over to the right.

Yes, ma'am.

[siren] -And it's not just happening at high schools.

[traffic] Here at MJ Christensen Elementary School, the morning rush brings the same types of problems.

-You just moved to Vegas?

(Lt.

Campbell) Generally, it's 30 minutes of chaos in the morning, 30 minutes of chaos after school at every single location.

-CCSD Police Lieutenant Michael Campbell.

-If we could just slow down and treat everybody in the school zone like they're our own family, they're our own child.

-Afternoon pickup adds other challenges--illegal parking and blocked crosswalks.

-What happens when they get too close to the crosswalks or the driveways is that people can't see shorter people or students or kids trying to get into those crosswalks, and that's when kids are getting hit.

-No matter the time of day, when lights are flashing in a school zone, it means student safety comes first.

-15 mile an hour.

-And while officers can't be everywhere... -How fast do you think you were going?

-...their presence does make a difference... -Just being here, sitting down on the end of the roadway or patrolling, will curb a lot of those negative behaviors that we see that cause injury.

-...one school zone at a time.

-But we're trying our best to be everywhere we can, to be as proactive as we can so we can get our kids to and from school uninjured.

-Thank you.

Drive safe.

-A big thank-you to the CCSD School Police Traffic Bureau for letting us tag along with them.

So what are the rules of the road in Valley school zones?

U-turns are illegal in school zones.

Double parking and blocking crosswalks are prohibited.

Always obey the posted speed limit, and stop whenever you see a school bus with flashing red lights or its stop-arm is extended.