Computers, Radios Taken At Pratt School

Pratt Elementary School officials said about $15,000 worth of computer, stereo, and communication equipment was taken during a break-in that was originally thought to have been simple vandalism.

Four Macintosh computers, four ink-jet printers, three portable two-way radios, a compact disc player and 20 pieces of software were taken during the burglary early last Sunday, Pratt principal Jeanne Baynes said.

All of the equipment was taken from the primary wing that houses kindergarten through second grade classrooms.

“They even had time to stop and eat the kid’s snacks,” Baynes said of the burglars.

Sheriff’s deputies who responded to the break-in and searched the building Sunday morning did not notice anything obviously missing. Teachers and administrators discovered the items had been taken when they reported to work Monday morning, Baynes said.

Students, teachers and parents spent three years raising money to buy the computer equipment, Baynes said. The last of the computers and printers were purchased during the current school year, she said.

“It’s very frustrating because they put forth a lot of hard work and effort,” Baynes said.

A woman who lives near the school was awakened about 2:30 a.m. Sunday by a loud car parked near the school. A few minutes later, the woman heard an alarm sound at the school and saw three teenagers leave in an early 1970s Chevrolet four-door car.

Deputies found a broken window on the school’s north side. A sheriff’s dog searched the school, but did not find anyone, sheriff’s officials said.

Baynes is sending letters to area businesses asking for help in replacing the equipment. The school district’s insurance policy has a large deductible, meaning the district will have to pay to replace the equipment, Baynes said.

“When you steal from kids you steal from a child’s education,” she said. “We’re trying to prepare them for tomorrow and someone is preventing them from succeeding.”

, DataTimes