Actual Case

It’s hard to say what caused the two boys to do what they did, though both of them had been in trouble with the law outside of school. They broke in one night and totally vandalized the new wing we had just finished in our building. They smashed every inside window and made holes with a BB gun or something in every plate glass window to the outside. They sure must have taken their time, because there wasn't a single window in the entire wing that wasn’t smashed or shot. Then they broke into the library and knocked over all the shelves. There were hundreds and hundreds of books scattered all over the floor. They destroyed my office too, and the offices of administration.

They got a set of keys and were able to get to our duplicating machine and switchboard. I think both are destroyed beyond repair. Worst of all, they set two fires--one on the first floor, and one, on the third. The one on the first floor got put out pretty quickly, but they must have lit the one upstairs first, because it utterly destroyed three classrooms.

They did all of this, they said, because their teacher really made them angry. What must we all pay to undo such wanton destruction? The costs in money include:

• The fire and police department’s investigation of the act and pursuit of the vandals
• Custodial labor to clean up the debris
• Clerical costs for preparing work orders and ordering building materials
• Operating vehicles to transport workers and materials to the job site
• Materials, labor and other construction costs
• Transporting students to other schools
• Loss of classroom availability during repairs and construction
• Loss of income from canceled athletic events