D97 Considers Cameras at School Entrances to Curb Vandalism

The Oak Park Elementary School District 97 Board of Education Tuesday will vote on a $79,843 bid to install 79 security cameras at its eight elementary schools in an attempt to curb vandalism. 

"Over the course of this school year, we have experienced several incidents at some of our elementary schools which has caused us to consider the installation of security cameras at all exterior entrances," District 97 staff wrote in a July 9 memo to Superintendent Dr. Al Roberts. 

Like Oak Park-River Forest Patch on Facebook

District staff included a vandalism report in its Aug. 20 meeting materials, documenting incidents reported over the past five years.

Vandalism in the district's two middle schools has decreased significantly since the district installed cameras in the summer of 2010, according to the report. 

During the 2012-13 school year, the district reported 10 vandalism at all of its schools, representing no change from the 2011-12 year. The district reported 21 incidents in the 2010-11 year; 19 incidents in 2009-10 and 17 in 2008-09, according to the report.

Mann Elementary School topped the list of incidents, with three reported in 2012-13 and 2011-12. Lincoln and Longfellow elementary schools each had two incidents in 2012-13. Hatch, Holmes and Irving elementary schools and Julian Middle School reported no incidents in 2012-13. 

The breakdown of cameras, by school, includes:

• Beye: 10
• Hatch: 7
• Holmes: 9
• Irving: 8
• Lincoln: 10
• Longfellow: 11
• Mann: 11
• Whittier: 13