Employee arrested after apparent recording device found at elementary school

LAS VEGAS (KVVU/Gray News) - A school district employee in Las Vegas has been arrested after a recording device was reportedly found at an area school.

KVVU reports that a letter was sent to parents Thursday regarding the employee’s arrest from Gwendolyn Woolley Elementary School Principal Anna Cool-MacRae.

“The safety of our students is the number one priority at Woolley Elementary School,” the letter said. “As always, we want to keep you informed of important matters happening within our school community.”

The letter says an employee, later identified by police as 44-year-old Haroon Zakai, was arrested on charges related to electronic surveillance at school without knowledge, attempting to destroy/conceal evidence and monitoring private conversations.

“CCSD police arrested the individual in connection with an investigation initiated on Wednesday,” the letter continued. “The initial investigation indicates the matter only involved adults.”

KVVU reports it obtained a photo of the alleged recording device and spoke to a teacher who found it.

“I looked at the device and said, ‘Oh my gosh, this looks like a recording device. What is this doing in here?’” the teacher told KVVU.

The unidentified teacher said she put the device on her desk and re-examined it after students were gone.

She says she then got a visit from the employee in question, and he wanted the device back and struggled with her to get it, causing scrapes on her arms.

The teacher then asked Zakai what he planned to do with the recording device.

“He got on his knees and he’s like, ‘Please don’t tell anybody. Don’t call the cops. This will ruin me,’” she said. “He told me that he wanted to record the kids to try to find words, phrases, or certain sounds that could be picked up by AI that would indicate bullying. So he can open his own business to create an anti-bullying device that he can sell to parents who are aware of what’s happening to their kids.”

Teacher Mark Wilson said Zakai also came to his classroom to explain things.

Wilson said he takes issue with the school principal’s statement that the matter “only involved adults” when the recording device was in a class with young special needs students.

He told KVVU that district officials told him if he spoke to the media about the incident, he could be fired for insubordination.

“I don’t care if they fire me,” KVVU quoted Wilson. “I think I would put a vote to the community … would you rather have me teaching your kids or all the weirdos who go around lying to you that some creep tech at their school was recording their kids and then some creepy school district people say, ‘Hey let’s protect him?’ It’s more important for the public image of the school district. No. Sorry.”

School officials said Zakai will be on unpaid leave and would not be allowed on campus while the situation is under investigation.