View of vandalism from memorial bench
Maybe any student accused of vandalizing school property should have to sit on the bench outside of the St. Charles Police Department and listen to a lecture about common sense, respect and responsibility. It would be fitting, since the bench was placed there in honor of Sgt. Daniel Figgins, who died from a heart attack two years ago while chasing young men who were trying to break into St. Charles East High School to steal a golf cart used by the athletic department trainer.
It is rare for an act of vandalism to result in a fatality or even bodily harm to others, but not rare for these cowardly acts to create potential for harm. The deflating of tires on 45 school buses in the Kaneland school district last month appears on the surface to be a typical school prank. But it carried dangerous implications when considering how cold it was the next morning and that young students were waiting for their buses; some not knowing classes had been canceled.
Three Kaneland students face criminal damage to property misdemeanor charges and Kaneland officials are in the process of determining who else was involved in the incident.
No school district is immune from vandalism or threats despite codes of conduct that warn students and parents that security cameras and student searches are part of the process in pursuing and prosecuting vandals.
St. Charles North officials got police involved two weeks ago when written threats were found in a bathroom at the school. A few years ago, more than a dozen cars were vandalized in the Geneva High School parking lot. And there have been growing incidents before our schools play in fever-pitched rivalry athletic contests.
Imagine putting the kind of effort that an act of vandalism requires and funneling it into doing something that actually helps the community. Thankfully, many young people understand that, and it is the few who always ruin it for the many when it comes to vandalism.
You want to be cautious about making the leap of equating deflating bus tires to the far more serious threats and acts of violence in schools. But both call for increased security measures and communication between students, parents and school officials. Communication lines may open more readily when we all accept the fact that vandalism of school property really is a form of community terrorism. Because of that, we encourage schools to continue to examine and improve security measures and regulations.
It is a tough pill to swallow when kids who had no other record of trouble suddenly get mixed up in a prank that starts innocently enough and becomes dangerous. The death of a man devoted to his work and his family would be the furthest thing from the minds of young men trying to steal a golf cart from St. Charles East High School. The bench outside of the police department reminds us of that sobering reality. Maybe rather than after the fact, those plotting pranks and vandalism should sit there a moment beforehand to contemplate whether it really is the right thing to do