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Maddie Russo

Mrs. Hintze

English I

21 December 2017

How Vandalism is Doing Harm in School

Have you ever witnessed vandalism at your school? Vandalism is a growing problem

across the US and is reaching an all time high in school districts. This behavior is not okay and a

topic that should not be taken lightly. According to Dictionary.com, vandalism is defined as

“​deliberately mischievous or malicious destruction or damage of property​”. Vandalism should

not be allowed in school because it puts the safety of student’s lives at risk, cost the school

money to repair the damage done, and it reflects a bad image on your school.

First, vandalism puts the safety of student’s lives at risk. In a recent vandalism case, “A

12 year old student is being sued $19,000 after going into a science classroom after school hours

and pouring chemicals all over the room. ​The parent or parents of an emancipated minor child

shall be liable for actual damages to person or property caused by any sort of intentionally or

recklessly committed by such child,” (Miami Herald).​ If the students came in the next day to

class and the chemicals were not fully cleaned up, this could have easily put the health of the

students at risk because chemicals were all around the room. Inhaling and touching chemicals is

not safe for anyone and can pose serious health complications. In addition, another case was

reported of vandalism in 2007 when, “​One of seven students turned himself in to police after

officials issued a warrant for his arrest. The suspect is suspected of smashing windows and

spray-painting walls at the school. Damage to the building is estimated at $40,000,” (​"High
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school athlete charged in vandalism case.").​ ​This shows yet another example of how vandalism

puts the safety of students at risk because students could be sitting in a classroom and another

student could break the window of the classroom, shattering glass all over. The shattered glass

could easily cut and injure the students in the classroom. The safety of students plays a key role

in vandalism, but so does the budget the school allows to fix damaged property.

Next, vandalism cost the school money to repair damage done that was caused by

vandalism. Ken Morris, secretary-treasurer of the Richmond School District states, “​Vandalism

still costs the school district $250,000 a year, money that could be used to hire more teachers and

teaching assistants and to buy school supplies, Morris says,” (​"Video Cameras Strip Students'

Right to Privacy: B.C. Civil.”). Huge amounts of money is going towards fixing damaged school

property that students have wrecked for no apparent reason. This money could be going to

educational purposes in order to help students learn better and have a better experience at school.

Similarly, Loretta Gibson, who is the ​Muroc Joint Unified School District superintendent states,

“Every time the school district sustains this kind of vandalism and damage we have to divert

money from the student’s instructional programs and educational opportunities to cover the cost

of the vandalism,” (Edwards). ​It is not fair to the endless amounts of students that respect the

property of the school, but get ‘over $12,000 in damages’ taken out of their funds to pay for the

select few that ruin it for all by doing vandalism. School money to pay for damage is crucial in

keeping schools up and running. As equally, the reputation a vandalized school receives is also

crucial.

Furthermore, vandalism reflects a bad image on your school. Students who vandalize

school property think that it is cool, but Antonio Cuevas says, “​This level of disrespect gives the
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campus a bad reputation. It makes the campus look bad compared to other schools,” (Cuevas).

When parents, grandparents, visitors, and sports teams come to the schools that have been

vandalized, their first impression will be bad of that school. Not to mention, the school will be

seen as poor, unsanitary, run-down, and low class. Correspondingly, “Property values decline

when neighborhood schools have poor reputations and surrounding areas suffer from vandalism,

crime by truants and drug trafficking,” (“Safe Schools Week.”). When vandalism takes place in

school, it affects the whole community around the school. That school that got vandalized gets a

bad reputation and the crime rates go up, making consumers not want to purchase houses in that

school district. Therefore, the economy suffers. Not only is having a good image important for

schools, but also the views of others is taken into consideration.

Although vandalism is often seen as a crime through the eyes of many, some see

vandalism as a form of expression. For this reason, “Vandalism is expression and that is what

makes it art. Graffiti, a vandalism sub-genre, is differentiated by its aesthetics, or its message.

Though graffiti represents a challenge to the law, it can simultaneously serve a public good

through its nuanced social commentary and its artistry,” (“Graffiti Is a Public Good, Even As It

Challenges the Law.”). Even though students are being creative and expressing themselves

through their talents, they are still breaking the law and committing a crime. The students ability

to ‘feel good’ about themselves should not overpower the rules and safety of others. In contrary,

New York Law states, “No person shall write, paint or draw any inscription, figure or mark of

any type on any public or private building or other structure unless the express permission of the

owner or operator of the property has been obtained,” (“New York City Graffiti Laws.”).

According to New York City Laws, graffiti is not allowed on any building or property without
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permission from the owner of that building. Most vandals perform graffiti during night-time

hours in hopes of not getting caught by the police and not being seen by the public, so no

permission is given to these vandals. This makes graffiti a crime, and not a good form of self

expression. In consonance with city laws, people who get permission to create graffiti drawings

is legal and they still get the opportunity to express themselves.

With vandalism not being allowed in schools, the students will come to school feeling

more safe, the school will get to spend more money on the students and their activities, and the

school will remain with a good reputation. Vandalism in school is a huge problem that needs the

attention and awareness of people to talk about this issue. Vandalism affects students and staff at

school by making them feel uncomfortable and unsafe when they see bathrooms trashed, graffiti

on the wall, and smashed windows. In the future, perhaps video surveillance cameras will be

installed more in schools to cut down on vandalism. Also, schools may decide to limit the

amount of free time that students get that is unsupervised during the school day and after hours at

school events. Next time you see vandalism happen, what are you going to do? Speak up or sit

back?
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Works Cited

AFB, Rebecca Amber Edwards. “Home.” ​The Antelope Valley Times​, 10 Sept. 2014,

theavtimes.com/2014/09/10/vandalism-costs-school-district-12000/.

Cuevas, Antonio. “Students Vandalize Restrooms.” ​The Word​, 18 Mar. 2014,

vrhsword.com/news/2014/03/18/students-vandalize-restrooms/

“Graffiti Is a Public Good, Even As It Challenges the Law.” ​The New York Times​, The New

York Times, 11 July 2014,

"High school athlete charged in vandalism case." ​American School & University​, 14 Mar.

2007. ​Student Edition​,

link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A160959059/STOM?u=4784nshs&sid=STOM&xid=c0110

765.

Accessed 7 Dec. 2017.

“New York City Graffiti Laws .” ​Anti-Graffiti City and State Legislation​, NYC.gov,

www.nyc.gov/html/nograffiti/html/legislation.html.

“Safe Schools Week.” ​National School Safety Center​, National School Safety Center ,

www.schoolsafety.us/safe-schools-week

“The New York Times Company.” ​The New York Times​, The New York Times,

www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2014/07/11/when-does-graffiti-become-art/graffiti-is-a

-public-good-even-as-it-challenges-the-law.
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“Vandalism.” ​Dictionary.com​, Dictionary.com, www.dictionary.com/browse/vandalism

Video cameras strip students' right to privacy: B.C. civil.. (2003).

"Video Cameras Strip Students' Right to Privacy: B.C. Civil.."​SIRS Issues Researcher​, 19

May, 2003, https://sks.sirs.com.

Welshtwelsh@mcclatchy.com, Teresa. “He Trashed the Middle School Classroom. Now His

Parents Are Being Sued for $19,000.” ​Miamiherald​, 4 Oct. 2017,

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