Leaders, Parents Vow to Fight School Vandalism

An elementary school that has been plagued by a rash of vandalism came fighting back Thursday at a meeting in which community leaders and parents vowed to “give the school back to our children.”

More than 150 parents of students at Hillcrest Drive Elementary School in Baldwin Village met with Lt. Gov. Gray Davis, school officials and Los Angeles Unified School District police to devise a plan to end the wave of crime that has caused more than $100,000 in damage since March.

Davis announced that he had secured 12 computers for the school to replace the dozen that were recently destroyed in an evening rampage in which books, globes, clocks and other school equipment were ruined.

“The vandals took our school, but we’re taking it back,” said Principal Carole Gentry. “When a child comes to school so eager to learn and a teacher comes to school so motivated to teach and their classroom is destroyed, the self-esteem of everybody goes down.”

Among the plans discussed to deter vandalism were for parents to patrol the school after hours.

“On a rainy day like today, to see so many parents come out was really gratifying,” Gentry said.