Eleven classrooms vandalized in Compton USD
COMPTON, Calif. - Eleven classrooms in the Compton Unified School District were targeted by vandals, leaving behind a big mess for teachers and staff to clean.
The vandalism at Bursch Elementary School is believed to have happened either Thursday or Friday. Staff believes the vandals traveled through the vents to be undetected.
"Of course we were exceedingly displeased considering the fact that we're dealing with COVID-19," said Micah Ali, the President of the Compton Unified School District.
The elementary school is closed due to coronavirus, and the vandals took their time trashing the classrooms with graffiti, glue, paper, and trash.
"To have to deal with something of this nature during this type of crisis is literally just kind of sort of unseemingly at this time. For individuals to take it upon themselves to vandalize the classrooms of early education learners, the small ones, this is unbelievable," said Ali.
Teachers and staff found out about the vandalism on Monday and began cleaning immediately. District leaders were also contacted to provide resources.
"Staff began cleaning, began painting and also began putting things back in place as if children were coming the very next hour. Can you imagine children walking into a classroom to see it completely disheveled with this type of tomfoolery painted on the wall, this is nonsense," said Ali.
Ali said the school has not been targeted by vandals before.
"This is not a normal characteristic, and this is not something that we experience within this system, period," said Ali.
The district will be using its resources to try to catch the vandals.
"We're treating this as a crime scene. We will look at all of our technology that's available in addition to questioning people throughout the community who may have even witnessed something. When we find these deplorable degenerates the objective is to prosecute them to the fullest extent humanly possible," Ali said.
A GoFund Me page is circulating, but Ali said it is a scam, and urged people to not donate to the page.
"The Compton Unified School District has the capacity and capability to repair and provide restoration with any aspect that transpires in our school system. We are not authorizing or sanctioning any GoFund Me pages with respect to this particular incident," said Ali.
The Compton Unified School District Police Department is investigating the matter. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 310-639-4321.