MONROE - School is not out of session, but the Monroe High School library is.
Monroe police are investigating vandalism to the Monroe High School library which took place between 11:30 p.m. Thursday and 7:15 a.m. Friday.
Principal Mark Burandt said a teacher discovered damage to the library around 7:15 a.m. Friday. Burandt said the damage happened after 11:30 p.m. Thursday as that is when a maintenance person completed work for the night.
Almost every shelf in the library was emptied of its books, and furniture upturned. The larger furniture did not appear to be thrown or tossed, but rather turned over. Some tables were resting on their ends. One chair balanced on an overturned table's leg
The books however appeared to be pushed from the shelves and allowed to pile as much as 2 to 3 feet high in the aisles.
In the periodical room, several magazines in their cases were knocked from the shelves, but no computers seemed touched.
The library houses over 28,000 copies of books and magazines.
Jennifer Thayer, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, said she could not be sure if any books were damaged. She said it doesn't appear the books were stepped on, but books on the bottom of piles may have been stepped on or damaged in the fall.
"As they are now, we can't tell," she said.
Clean up began immediately after Monroe police detectives finished their investigation, around 9:15 a.m.
"We start now. We have multiple people coming in. LMC aids from all over the district are coming in to help, and we'll enlist the aid of student and teacher volunteers," Thayer said.
Three or four work stations, overseen by one to two LMC aids or directors, will be set up. Thayer said students and teacher volunteers will gather the books, while the LMC staff categorize and re-shelve the books.
Around 10 a.m., students, taking time from their study hall, started showing up to volunteer with the clean-up.
Burandt said he was amazed at the progress that had already been made by 10:30 a.m.
Thayer said it is unknown how, when or where the vandal or vandals entered the building. There is no evidence of a break-in.
"We are looking at the security cameras now," Thayer said.
Burandt said he was initially "disappointed and frustrated, not necessarily at anyone or anything, but that anyone would do this to a public building."
"This hinders the kids. Kids can't be in the library the rest of the year, because of this," he said.
The school year ends Tuesday.
- News Editor Jim Winter contributed to this story
Monroe police are investigating vandalism to the Monroe High School library which took place between 11:30 p.m. Thursday and 7:15 a.m. Friday.
Principal Mark Burandt said a teacher discovered damage to the library around 7:15 a.m. Friday. Burandt said the damage happened after 11:30 p.m. Thursday as that is when a maintenance person completed work for the night.
Almost every shelf in the library was emptied of its books, and furniture upturned. The larger furniture did not appear to be thrown or tossed, but rather turned over. Some tables were resting on their ends. One chair balanced on an overturned table's leg
The books however appeared to be pushed from the shelves and allowed to pile as much as 2 to 3 feet high in the aisles.
In the periodical room, several magazines in their cases were knocked from the shelves, but no computers seemed touched.
The library houses over 28,000 copies of books and magazines.
Jennifer Thayer, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, said she could not be sure if any books were damaged. She said it doesn't appear the books were stepped on, but books on the bottom of piles may have been stepped on or damaged in the fall.
"As they are now, we can't tell," she said.
Clean up began immediately after Monroe police detectives finished their investigation, around 9:15 a.m.
"We start now. We have multiple people coming in. LMC aids from all over the district are coming in to help, and we'll enlist the aid of student and teacher volunteers," Thayer said.
Three or four work stations, overseen by one to two LMC aids or directors, will be set up. Thayer said students and teacher volunteers will gather the books, while the LMC staff categorize and re-shelve the books.
Around 10 a.m., students, taking time from their study hall, started showing up to volunteer with the clean-up.
Burandt said he was amazed at the progress that had already been made by 10:30 a.m.
Thayer said it is unknown how, when or where the vandal or vandals entered the building. There is no evidence of a break-in.
"We are looking at the security cameras now," Thayer said.
Burandt said he was initially "disappointed and frustrated, not necessarily at anyone or anything, but that anyone would do this to a public building."
"This hinders the kids. Kids can't be in the library the rest of the year, because of this," he said.
The school year ends Tuesday.
- News Editor Jim Winter contributed to this story