AUSD values providing the best instructional tools and facilities to our students and staff. We know that all schools will experience a level of normal wear and tear. But we want to address the costs of willful damage and misconduct and ask for your assistance in speaking with your child about a policy AUSD will begin enforcing on December 1.
Under that policy, which regulates our ability to recover the costs of property loss or damage, AUSD will send an invoice to families if their student either vandalized AUSD property or pulled a fire alarm. We are doing this to recoup the thousands of dollars we spend to repair or replace items vandalized by students and the many times they pull our fire alarms on a monthly basis.
Estimated costs for common vandalism and fire alarm pulls are:
- Damaged window: Expensive! Most windows require custom glass cutting and fabrication
- Damaged exterior door: $3,500.00 to $4,000.00
- Fire alarm pull: About $3,000, and a possible citation by the Fire Department
- Computers (up to $1,500); Chromebooks (up to $500); iPads (up to $600)
- Graffiti: Approximately $85 per hour per person
Please talk to your students about the costs of their vandalism and fire alarm pulls, including how much money these incidents use up, the work ihey create for staff, and the disruption they potentially cause for other students and staff (e.g., lost class time or lack of computer access).
Students who are currently or formerly homeless, as well as foster youth, will not be charged. In addition, if parents/guardians cannot afford to pay for the damage, the student will be given the opportunity to work or do service on campus to settle the debt. (Such work will comply with all provisions of the Labor Code.)
Thank you again for talking to your student about direct and indirect costs of vandalism and theft.