ARSON!

(EXPURGATED)

I've just learned that, yesterday, someone appears to have set some of our classrooms undergoing 'modernization' at Bullard ablaze!

I don't know anything more, I will have to go to my site today to see for myself.

*************UPDATE*************

Fires were set in three locations in two adjoining classrooms (N-61 and N-63). The fires along the west wall and storage room of N-61 seem to be superficial in damage, not penetrating the gypsum wall board:












The third fire, in N-63, appears to have damaged a cabinet of a lab station and that will probably cost thousands to replace, though the resistant lab surface on top would probably have survived a room-wide blaze and still be useful:


Still, this is disturbing and, if news accounts are to be believed, could be linked to gang activity whose sole purpose is to demonstrate the relative strength of a given group of hoods to damage public property as compared to their rivals. And the news media are here:

Here's a video, from Channel 47, On Your Side

One more thing: I saw some people give me funny looks over the last few days, that I was taking pictures of science classrooms in the process of being disassembled ('modernization'). Obviously, I had no idea anyone was going to intentionally vandalize the classroom, but I have to say I now have the feeling I wish I had taken more pictures. The good news is that my colleague's teaching materials and personal possessions seemed to have been moved out before this happened. I can only imagine how I would feel if I lost all of the curricula I've generated over the years.