Hundreds of primary school children in San Ignacio Town had to be sent home today after their classroom was hit by vandals over the weekend. According to reports reaching the RSV Media Center, a three-classroom building at the Sacred Heart Primary School in San Ignacio town was vandalized. Principal of the upper division Bernadine Lavern Martinez spoke with Love FM's Patrick Jones via telephone this morning and said this is not the first time she and her staff have had to deal with this kind of ordeal.

Bernadine Lavern Martinez - Principal

"We've had vandalism in the past, not month and a half, but exactly three months. It is people coming in, I don't know who they are, vandalizing the classrooms, they break locks, they steal the stuff, what they can't steal they destroy, the teachers' charts, the students' charts. This weekend they came in the standard five classes housing three classrooms and the standard four buildings were vandalized. To top it off, they pasted human waste all over the children's desk and chairs and the teacher's table, that is what we are going through. Yesterday we came, a few teachers and myself and we cleaned up everything."

Even though it is approaching the end of the academic year, Mrs. Martinez says the vandals are still causing major interruptions the school's plans.

Bernadine Lavern Martinez - Principal

"Well again it disrupts the normal routine of the day. You know every week we come with our plans and our itinerary for the week. When this happens hours of essential teaching learning strategies and whatever we have to engage our activities in with our children we miss that. This morning we sat with them and explained to them, we have notes for their parents for them to know what is happening in the school."

Martinez expects that classes will resume as normal on Tuesday, following clearance from public health officials.

LOVEFM