Vandals broke into the school that this year is housing Elena Christian Junior High School over the weekend, prompting school and Department of Education officials to call on the community to help keep an eye on schools, the V.I. Department of Education announced Tuesday.
Elena Christian Junior High is being housed this school year at the former Charles Emmanuel Elementary School while the junior high campus undergoes extensive repair and renovation.
Students and employees arrived at the school around 7:15 a.m. Tuesday and found seven classrooms had been defaced. Door locks were pried open and five of the seven classrooms were sprayed with fire extinguisher foam. Two television monitors and a small fan were reported missing from a special education classroom.
Elena Christian Principal Carlos McGregor quickly assessed the damage and began shifting classes to accommodate the students. By 8:30 a.m., students and teachers of the affected classrooms had been relocated to other areas in the school, including the science and computer labs, library and other available classrooms. The school day continued without interruption. Maintenance workers replaced the damaged locks and a professional cleaning company was called in to sanitize the affected classrooms.
The V.I. Department of Education St. Croix District Office of the Insular Superintendent and the leadership of the Elena Christian Jr. High School appealed to residents living in the Aureo Diaz Heights housing community and surrounding neighborhoods to keep a watchful eye out for suspicious activity in and around the school after school hours and on weekends. They asked residents to call 911 if suspicious activity is observed at this or any school.
Nightly patrols at the school are being stepped up by Sgt. Charles Orange, the V.I. Police Department’s school security supervisor. The department said McGregor and district leadership are working closely with VIPD detectives to investigate the break-in.
