4 teachers in Nevada have educator licenses revoked

The Nevada State Board of Education revoked the teaching licenses of four educators at its July 29 meeting after each faced criminal convictions linked to school‑related misconduct. Alexander Scott Derringer, a former second‑grade teacher at Ferron Elementary School, pleaded guilty in June 2024 to one count of distributing child pornography. Between April and August 2021 he shared more than 130 files via two Kik accounts, and investigators recovered over 2,800 images and videos from two phones he owned. Derringer was sentenced to nine years in prison followed by twenty years of supervised release. Re’Kwon Smith, a substitute teacher, was arrested by Clark County School District police in April 2024 after a fight at Valley High School. Police said a student directed a racial slur at Smith, who then charged the student and punched him, leaving the student with signs of a concussion. Smith’s charges were later reduced to a disorderly‑conduct misdemeanor in April 2025 after he completed an impulse‑control counseling class, avoided further contact with the student for three months and stayed out of trouble, according to online court records. Jynnell McClellan, a substitute teacher at Legacy High School, was taken into custody in August 2024 after campus police reported she possessed a firearm on school property. The weapon was found in the school’s parking lot, and McClellan admitted ownership. Her case was dismissed in December 2024 after she fulfilled mandated community service and remained free of additional infractions. Max Ma’afala‑Maiava, also a substitute teacher, had his license revoked after pleading guilty in September 2024 to a felony count of strangulation by strangulation and a misdemeanor count of domestic‑violence battery. He received a prison term ranging from one and a half to four years. The board’s action removes the educators’ authority to teach in Nevada public schools.