Coronavirus boredom may be responsible for a significant spike in burglaries and other illegal activity at Montgomery County, Maryland schools.
Last year, between January 1 and April 30, eight schools were burglarized in the county. This year, between January 1 and April 16, there have been 16 K-12 campus break-ins, reports WJLA. That’s a 100% increase.
According to law enforcement data, ten of the 16 (62.5%) 2020 school break-ins occurred between March 1 and April 16, which is when most schools in the nation closed to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
Local authorities believe kids having too much time on their hands due to COVID-19 quarantines is to blame for the steep increase in break-ins.
Damage to the schools includes broken windows and vending machines, vandalism and graffiti. One teen suspect was injured when he jumped off the campus roof while trying to flee from law enforcement officers. In another case, a young adult was apprehended by police as he was leaving a high school. The suspect had a backpack that contained burglary tools, although he claimed he was looking for a place to sleep.
Most Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) have security cameras and motion sensors installed, reports WJLA.
There have also been dozens of reports of people exercising and playing on campus athletic fields. Signs telling people to not enter have been removed.
A letter from the Chevy Chase High School PTA warned that local police and district security will respond to future gatherings. The group also encouraged parents to teach their children about responsibility.
More than three out of four states have announced public and private schools will remain closed for the rest of the 2019-2020 academic year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Most have turned to distance learning so that students will be able to continue with their studies.
