A portable classroom building at Sterling Harris Elementary was severely vandalized earlier this week, and now school officials and Tooele City police are looking for the perpetrators.
The modular portable classroom buildings had not been connected yet, which left only plastic sheeting to protect the interior. The vandalism, which may have occurred Monday, came only days after the two halves of the building were dropped off at the elementary school on June 1, according to Steve West, Tooele County School District’s construction supervisor.
“We just dropped this off,” he said. “This is a brand-new building.”
Inside both halves of the building, which will house two classrooms next year, the vinyl-coated gypsum wallboard was marred with repeated kick marks. In addition to the gashed walls, bits of the wallboard covered the floor.
Window frames were also damaged, and the thermostat in one room was ripped off the wall and thrown on the ground. Vandals also used permanent marker to deface one of the circuit breakers in the rear of the building.
The school didn’t purchase the portable classroom but was leasing it for one year, West said. Now the company leasing the building will have to repair the damage and bill the school district for the cost, he said.
The cost of a new portable classroom building is approximately $140,000, according to West.
If the culprits are caught, the school will press for them to pay restitution to offset the cost. If that doesn’t happen, the school district will likely have to pay for the repairs through its insurance provider, he said.
The vandalism marked the latest in a string of incidents that resulted in damage of district property. West said one of the school district’s maintenance trucks was stolen and found on its side in Middle Canyon by police, and windows were broken at Northlake Elementary recently.
“We just want some community help to see if we can look into this and catch them,” West said.
Tooele City police are still investigating the break-in and vandalism at the elementary school, according to Officer Tanya Turnbow. The case is expected to result in felony charges due to the extent of the damage, she said.
West said officers were able to find fingerprints on the portable classroom. The school district is offering a $100 reward for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrators of the vandalism.
Anyone with information about the vandalism should contact Tooele County Dispatch at 435-882-5600.
The portable classroom will be used at Harris while the new Sterling Elementary is being built on the former East Elementary property. Students from East will attend Harris beginning this fall until the new school is finished.