LA Unified School District hit by burglaries and vandalism on 171 occasions during fall semester alone
In the most recent incident last weekend, South LA’s Wadsworth Avenue Elementary had 24 classrooms ransacked—marking its sixth burglary since July.
The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has dealt with 171 cases of burglary and vandalism on its campuses already this school year, which started on Aug. 12. Officials from the district state that these crimes have led to damages costing millions of dollars.
Superintendent Alberto Carvalho of LAUSD held a press conference on Monday in South Los Angeles at Wadsworth Avenue Elementary, which has been targeted for burglary six times since July. Just this past weekend, classrooms were once again ransacked. Surveillance footage of the most recent break-in shows classrooms in disarray with stolen or damaged student devices and school supplies scattered on the floor. A total of 24 classrooms were broken into.
Carvalho mentioned that the recent break-in resulted in approximately $115,000 worth of damage.
“It is heartbreaking and frankly enraging to see a school like this one—often struggling for necessary resources for parents and students—being burglarized, vandalized, and stolen from six times since July,” he remarked, adding that doors will need to be replaced and the entire system re-keyed. The school is currently in the process of installing surveillance cameras.
Carvalho did not respond to The Epoch Times’ request for comment.
Depleting the District’s General Fund
During the fall semester of 2024 alone, incidents of vandalism and burglary have involved defacing school district property, stealing catalytic converters from buses, copper theft, and damaging air conditioning units, Carvalho stated.
He believes that LAUSD has already spent millions on replacing stolen equipment and repairing damages.
LAUSD is the largest school district in California and the second largest in the country after New York City, with the California Department of Education reporting an enrollment of approximately 530,000 students.
“This means we’re having to use general fund money to cover the costs of damage or replacement equipment when those funds should be directed towards classrooms,” Carvalho noted.
LA School Police Department Defunded
The increase in crime on district campuses follows budget cuts for the police department responsible for patrolling these campuses. In response to George Floyd’s death, the Los Angeles Board of Education reduced funding for the Los Angeles School Police (LASPD) in 2020.
The board reduced the budget by $25 million, amounting to a 35 percent cut. The funds were reallocated to staff serving the needs of black students and establishing a task force to evaluate school safety.
Furthermore, the board instructed LASPD’s 460 officers to stay off campuses and out of uniform until their role was reassessed.
“The school board’s action is a significant starting point in the movement for police-free schools and a groundbreaking effort in supporting Black lives in our schools,” United Teachers Los Angeles President Cecily Myart-Cruz stated in a previous announcement.
Supporters of cutting the LASPD budget referenced a study from the University of California–Los Angeles indicating that LASPD officers disproportionately detained and cited black students in schools.
Opponents of the funding cuts argued that police officers in schools are trained to de-escalate conflicts and protect campuses from threats like mass shootings.
Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho visits a campus in Los Angeles on Jan. 8, 2024. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times
Measure US: Local Public Schools Safety
In the recent Nov. 5 election, Los Angeles County voters approved a measure for safety enhancements to district campuses, known as “Measure US” or the local public schools safety and upgrades measure.
The facilities bond required 55 percent of the vote to pass and received 68 percent, earmarking $9 billion for safety measures and campus improvements, including earthquake safety and accessibility enhancements.
Various components of Measure US can be utilized to secure district sites, with the bond project list including upgrades or installations of safety and security systems, exterior lighting, security alarms, video surveillance and monitoring, and emergency communications, among other improvements.
Police urge anyone with information regarding the burglaries and vandalism to reach out to LASPD or LAPD.
