VAN NUYS : Erwin Street School Vandalized by Taggers

The classroom floors at Erwin Street School in Van Nuys were ankle-deep Monday morning in the ravaged work of children. It was a harsh lesson for the students of the normally serene elementary school. In what school officials called an extraordinarily malicious outbreak of vandalism, four classrooms at the school were scarred by taggers during the weekend--the children’s work scattered and walls splashed with paint.

Kindergarten teacher Tobi Rosen said the worst sight was a red swastika painted on a bookshelf. Tags were scrawled on windows, walls and chalk boards. Yellow and purple paint was poured onto the keyboard of an upright piano. American flags were used to swab paint on the floor.

When parents arrived with their children Monday morning, teachers stopped them and suggested that the children be spared the sight of their classrooms. Many kindergartners were taken home.