|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
On Tuesday night between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., someone snuck into Pleasanton Middle School and vandalized the campus, causing “heavy damage,” according to school administrators.
A “similar display of vandalism” also took place on Saturday night on campus.
“Upon arriving to school this morning, we were disappointed and shocked to find that our campus had been vandalized,” they said in a statement Wednesday.
The school doesn’t have an estimate yet for how much repairs will cost, but the yet-unidentified culprits “destroyed custodian tools, overturned and cracked our cement garbage receptacles, smashed announcement speakers, and caused heavy damage to our beloved school garden,” including tearing up plants and drip irrigation systems from the ground, slashing shade umbrellas and ruining student artwork.
Photos on social media also showed items thrown up on the roof of one of the buildings, a damaged fan and PA speaker, overturned picnic tables, and piles of paper strewn outside. “This disturbing behavior is unacceptable and truly disheartening,” said the Pleasanton Middle School PTSA.
Custodial staff worked to restore the parts of campus that were vandalized but Pleasanton Unified School District spokesperson Patrick Gannon said “it will require additional work” to completely fix the damage. “It’s unfortunate that time and resources must be used to repair this intentional damage to our school,” Gannon said.
The Pleasanton Police Department said they “do not have any information regarding the vandalism” so far other than a police report that was filed. A school investigation is underway, according to campus officials. In addition to contacting Pleasanton police, anyone with information about either incident can also email administration or use the district anonymous tip-line: 417-5199.
Sounds like a very expensive teenage prank. Hopefully the perpetrators will be caught.
Are there security cameras on campus?
In regard to the PMS Parent comment…
If a teacher was “fired” that means that the teachers union could not defend the action. Knowing the power/influence that the unions have, this tells me that the teacher(s) that were dismissed, deserved it.
Regarding your “outrage” comment, do you really think the school is causing it? You think kids are aware of and disagree with the superintendents decisions? Or is it just normal these days to place the blame somewhere other than the parents? Or, the kids are raised in an environment where they believe they need a “safe space” when the world gets to mean. Good luck in life kids…..
Why don’t ALL schools have cameras? The amount of shootings they are having and the vandalism I would think that would
be a priority. But then schools are famous for crying poor mouth.
Yes, James—just start talking to some kids and the video will appear on your social media. A video with 12 year olds with suits up their butts, apparently. Thanks for the magic evidence, Sara!
A very sad reflection on the poor parenting skills of many parents. Also, one would think it would be common sense for PPD to place the school on a close patrol after the first incident. But, as with a lot of things in Pleasanton, common sense does not prevail. If this has been posted on social media, then what is being done to catch the perpetrators? Lastly, when kids are told at an early age in public school that we descended from animals, is it no surprise that they act like animals too??
Sara: This article is about vandalism at PMS. If you want to discuss a different issue, why not post or reply in the correct place?
In a situation where the school administrators propose destroying their own tennis courts to let cars park on them and the facilities are kept in such a perpetual shoddy state throughout the District, I’m not surprised about the vandalism.
The school district sets the example that they do not care about its own facilities. When the school district announces they are willing to destroy its own facilities that a member of the public funded to renovate a couple of years ago (e.g. tennis courts at Amador – former teacher Don Anger donated funds to renovate them), then that sets a very poor example to the community.
The school district shows very poor care and maintenance of its own facilities. (What have they spent bond money on and their maintenance budget on?)
PMS has heat and structural issues yet it is rated as Exemplary? https://4.files.edl.io/e759/01/28/19/191559-9829b53c-382d-40db-bffc-ee0b377efbf8.pdf
At Walnut Grove, the gas leaks, mechanical/HVAC/sewer system are listed as Poor and overall structural damage and roofs for all buildings are listed as Poor https://4.files.edl.io/7702/01/28/19/191558-bdde2693-8a70-4bc3-ae90-fd50ff52d50a.pdf
The list goes on. Given the poor state of the facilities at PUSD and the constant churn of administrative staff that in essence does short-term stints at each school before moving on, it is no wonder that the kids are not happy.
Sorry, these are punks acting like punks. Has nothing to do with a more specific message around the district not doing its job. Expel them all
Interesting alternative activity suggestion Duh
Were the perpetrators denied special ed services by PUSD despite showing significant needs? It’s a long shot but worth exploring. How many parents fight daily with PUSD to get their children services that continue to be denied by the district? Let’s talk about that, shall we? Or should we talk about the game of chicken that the district plays with parents by threatening due process and then backing out because they are legally obligated to provide services but just want to cut costs. If this isn’t the proper forum, then where is the proper forum?
This is about punk vandals, nothing more. Youre overthinking it
I hope that the each of the 4 kids involved are required to pay 1/4 of the costs to repair all of the damage. Work jobs and pay the price of repairs. No baseball or other activities until they’ve worked to pay the cost of their horrible actions. These kids need to learn the consequence of their actions.
I’m devoted to the school but I won’t be contributing to fundraisers. The cost and consequence should be their responsibility.
Give them 500 hours of community service each. To teach them a lesson and to pay for the damages.
They should be tried, convicted and sentenced to five years in juvenile detention jail. With permanent record for the rest of their life’s.
Have all the kids have been identified? I heard two have been identified but a poster above noted 4. I doubt this was a first offense for any of them. They likely have a long history of getting into trouble. I’m sure this isn’t the first and it won’t be the last. The parents should all be held responsible if this is not their childs first offense – monetarily and criminally.
I’ve heard that 2 were identified and are PMS 8th grade students. 2 are from Harvest Park but the PMS students will not give names. I applaud the parents of 1 of the students that did notify school officials. You can’t control your child’s actions but you can give them consequences and hold them accountable. I’m sure that was not an easy thing for the parents to do — but that kid probably has the greatest chance to learn a lesson and turn a corner from this. I hope that he makes restitution and then is given that chance. The other kids who are getting away with it – those are the ones who we will see behind bars 10 years from now as adults.
My student said that the concrete garbage cans were bolted down and required someone really strong to uproot and topple them.
She wondered if so many people fired recently were responsible (a kids thought, but shows the level of discord within the district).
Wonder what the School/ PUSD is doing to foment such outrage from students on school district property (with PMS merely being the outlet).
I will be surprised if the damage was done by middle schoolers.
Kathleen it was in fact middle school students. Video and all shows it. There is a large population of MS kids who need to be taught a lesson on respect, that sneaking out at midnight is not sade, saying N word non stop is definitely not ok and 12 year olds with their suits up their butts and posting photos of themselves should be taught as not being a sign of feminism….it’s a 12 year old positing inappropriate photos. This is parents not doing their jobs and kids being entitled
Sara…where is the video and all shows it?
James….check social media. Talk to the kids.
DUH:
LOL, well I saw it and sent in screenshots…yes check your kids social media accounts. Was it on my child’s phone or did my child share it? No …but you can see it because other kids are sharing it and liking it. So nothing magical, just be a parent. Do your job. And I’m not sure why it would be funny that children are putting themselves in dangerous positions by posting sexualized photos while tagging their location, but you do you.
Rob you are correct and it was done by students who repeatedly post themselves being disrespectful and more. I think her point is, watch your kids social media and you can watch their behavior. These kids’ bad behavior has been growing and visible by their posts. Maybe this could have been prevented.
The parents of one clearly sees nothing wrong since their child is playing around on social media. The boy is posting about how funny it is. The two that were caught will not give up other names. Thankfully one of the boys caught was turned in by the parents. The fact is this…IF the parents had checked and been known to check their child’s social media accounts they would have seen the build up to this point.
Exactly Lindsey!
No Karen….these kids are simply entitled.
Two of the alleged vandals play Babe Ruth. One of the players started and played this weekend What message does this send? Seems to me the league should issue suspensions if the parents are not going to take this issue seriously