Teachers arrived at Englewood Elementary School Monday morning to find posters ripped off walls and some items stolen or damaged following a weekend break-in.
The vandal did over $10,000 in damage to the school, Salem-Keizer School District spokeswoman Emily Reverman said. As of Monday afternoon, the extent of the theft and damage was still being catalogued.
The school is located in north central Salem, adjacent to Englewood Park.
A school employee on Sunday found Englewood Elementary had been broken into and reported the break-in to police at 1 p.m. The employee reported hallways, classrooms and library were damaged, according to Salem Police Department spokeswoman Angela Hedrick. Graffiti was on walls and glass inside the school was shattered.
Classes started two and a half hours late Monday, at 10:20 a.m. That was to give teachers time to inventory items in their classroom, report anything that had been stolen and clean up classrooms.
“Many classrooms had materials ripped off of the walls that needed to be replaced,” Reverman said.
Principal Dawn Holmstrom notified families of the delay over email Sunday.
“We know it is a challenge to have a change in schedule for tomorrow, but we appreciate your patience and partnership as our staff works to ensure our spaces and our team is prepared to have a successful week with all students,” she wrote.
The district and police department are working together to investigate the theft. Police have not identified a suspect.
Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.
