Vandals trash BD Elementary

Bonny Doon Union Elementary School fell victim to vandalism last month, when items were set on fire, equipment was damaged and beer cans were strewn all over campus.
First-year Principal Stephanie Siddens said the January vandalism happened just a month after someone stole a security light fixture and littered the campus with garbage.
Contents of the school’s trash and recycling cans were dumped around the school sometime Jan 9, and empty beer cans were scattered about. A light fixture was broken, and the school’s large outdoor clock was also damaged, with scratch marks and a missing number.
“The scariest thing that happened was that some of the clothing in the lost-and-found area was set on fire and thrown on the roof, which could have been extremely dangerous,” Siddens said.
The cost to repair the damage was estimated at about $145.
Siddens said she was out of town that weekend, but the school’s custodian and maintenance worker, who lives nearby, noticed the mess.
“Luckily, he saw what had happened before the students came back after the weekend,” Siddens said. “I had to hire someone to come and clean everything up.”
No police report has been filed so far.
“There definitely will be a full police report made if anything happens again,” Siddens said.
A couple of months ago, the principal said, an expensive security light fixture was taken from the school. At the same time, melted candle wax was found on the school’s picnic tables, and empty beer bottles were left lying around.
“We’re just having the light replaced now, and it’s not cheap,” Siddens said.
She said vandalism was not a problem in the past at the elementary school, which has been open since 1947 and now has 120 students.
But the recent episodes have raised the school’s guard, and the principal invites area residents to call the authorities if they see anything odd at the school.
“Now, there’s been enough damage to where it’s a big deal, it’s not minor,” Siddens said. “Especially, like, the fire incident, which could have caused a lot of damage and danger. We will be contacting the police from now on.”