I have had it with the theft that goes on in our schools

goldilocks said:

My son is at MMS and had his gym locker broken in to last week. All that was in there was a pair of stink gym clothes but they took the shorts! Last year it was broken in to and all they took was his deodorant (blech.) He said there was a whole group on his row that got hit.
He has lost nothing valuable but I'm kind of pissed I need to keep buying locks.

same thing happened to my son. had his gym clothes stolen. I think it's more of a prank than a theft, because nobody wants someone's used gym clothes.

ml1 said:

goldilocks said:

My son is at MMS and had his gym locker broken in to last week. All that was in there was a pair of stink gym clothes but they took the shorts! Last year it was broken in to and all they took was his deodorant (blech.) He said there was a whole group on his row that got hit.
He has lost nothing valuable but I'm kind of pissed I need to keep buying locks.

same thing happened to my son. had his gym clothes stolen. I think it's more of a prank than a theft, because nobody wants someone's used gym clothes.

I think it is rifling through people's property in hopes of finding something of value.

That this has been allowed to go on for so long is inexcusable.

Sadly it has always been the advice to students not to leave ANYTHING valuable in gym lockers. Because of privacy laws, since the lockers are in the dressing rooms, there cannot be supervising adults or cameras in there. So kids should leave their electronics, etc. in their REGULAR lockers, not the gym lockers.

Have some of you ever gone to High School?

When a Gym period starts, they are supposed to go to their regular locker which may be at the other end of the building and then go to their gym lockers? Yeah, if they have 8 minutes between periods.

RSutter said:

Have some of you ever gone to High School?

When a Gym period starts, they are supposed to go to their regular locker which may be at the other end of the building and then go to their gym lockers? Yeah, if they have 8 minutes between periods.

Unfortunately, they need to figure out how to do that, either then or a few periods earlier and/or later. I'm not saying it is acceptable or good, but that's how to avoid getting your stuff taken. And yes, I went to High School and my kid just graduated from CHS and they only have 4 minutes (not 8) between classes there.

tjohn said:

ml1 said:

goldilocks said:

My son is at MMS and had his gym locker broken in to last week. All that was in there was a pair of stink gym clothes but they took the shorts! Last year it was broken in to and all they took was his deodorant (blech.) He said there was a whole group on his row that got hit.
He has lost nothing valuable but I'm kind of pissed I need to keep buying locks.

same thing happened to my son. had his gym clothes stolen. I think it's more of a prank than a theft, because nobody wants someone's used gym clothes.

I think it is rifling through people's property in hopes of finding something of value.

maybe. but why take the used gym shorts?

Dunno. Maybe a fetish.

tjohn said:

Dunno. Maybe a fetish.

We need a vomit emoticon!

here you go Callista

With my children, the start of H.S. always included the same speech. "Hide your money, hide your valuables and don't make yourself a target." The same rules that apply to riding the subway apply to High School. Also, calling the thieves "little miscreants" is misleading. In some cases if not all, these petty crooks are 17, 18 years of age. There is nothing little about them.

A form is sent home at the beginning of the year and students sign it acknowledging that they have read it. The form informs the student they have three options with respect to the gym lockers:
1) put your valuables in your hall locker before coming to gym;
2) bring your own lock which you may put on your gym locker for the period you have class, thereby keeping your valuables safe;
3) take a risk and leave your stuff in an unlocked locker.

It was announced many times and homeroom teachers made announcements about this. The letter informs the student that the school:
1) knows that thefts occur;
2) offers two viable options: put valuables in hall locker or bring a lock for gym;
3) will not be particularly distressed if a student ignores the suggestions.

The school cannot put cameras in the locker rooms and at best we might be able to spot someone going in or out of the locker rooms with the hall security cameras while class is going on.

While it is regrettable, every student was so informed and had a form to sign acknowledging it. Any other solution requires one of:
1) the addition of locker space equal in size to the locker space we now have throughout the building so each kid has his/her PE locker, and that space does not exist (or more accurately is the current set of hall lockers), or
2) place a guard inside each locker room for the entire period once kids exit for gym class and then leave when kids return, thus increasing the budget for security, or
3) place cameras in each locker room.

The first cannot be done as there is no space; the second will not be done for budgetary reasons; the third will not be done for obvious reasons.

While we all do not like the fact that some kids will steal, it is not much different than leaving your cell phone or GPS in an unlocked car overnight. You run the risk and it is difficult to blame the cops if you left your car unlocked. Here it is difficult to blame the school.

Jude said:

A form is sent home at the beginning of the year and students sign it acknowledging that they have read it. The form informs the student they have three options with respect to the gym lockers:
1) put your valuables in your hall locker before coming to gym;
2) bring your own lock which you may put on your gym locker for the period you have class, thereby keeping your valuables safe;
3) take a risk and leave your stuff in an unlocked locker.

It was announced many times and homeroom teachers made announcements about this. The letter informs the student that the school:
1) knows that thefts occur;
2) offers two viable options: put valuables in hall locker or bring a lock for gym;
3) will not be particularly distressed if a student ignores the suggestions.

The school cannot put cameras in the locker rooms and at best we might be able to spot someone going in or out of the locker rooms with the hall security cameras while class is going on.

While it is regrettable, every student was so informed and had a form to sign acknowledging it. Any other solution requires one of:
1) the addition of locker space equal in size to the locker space we now have throughout the building so each kid has his/her PE locker, and that space does not exist (or more accurately is the current set of hall lockers), or
2) place a guard inside each locker room for the entire period once kids exit for gym class and then leave when kids return, thus increasing the budget for security, or
3) place cameras in each locker room.

The first cannot be done as there is no space; the second will not be done for budgetary reasons; the third will not be done for obvious reasons.

While we all do not like the fact that some kids will steal, it is not much different than leaving your cell phone or GPS in an unlocked car overnight. You run the risk and it is difficult to blame the cops if you left your car unlocked. Here it is difficult to blame the school.

^^
This

ctrzaska said:

That this has been allowed to go on for so long is inexcusable.

It's been going on since I was at CHS, and that was - ahem - a long time ago. It was inexcusable then, and it's inexcusable now.

Will the school be "distressed" if locks are broken or picked? Will the school care enough about the severity of this situation to make sure that all lockers in the changing rooms are fully functional? (A broken/malfunctioning locker door may not accommodate a lock, thus forcing students to "take the risk".) And does the school really think that getting kids to sign the f**king form will stop theft? Ugh.

I am sure that the school district would be happy to have the funds to address the problem. I think the purpose of the form is to make sure that kids are aware, especially at a time when kids carry far more valuable things around than I ever did in high school. I probably had ten bucks and a driver's license on me most of the time when I was in high school.

I think it is more likely that lockers are being left unlocked than that locks are being broken or picked. This is the case in every first-hand report of theft my kids have reported from MMS and CHS. They both report that tons of kids don't lock lockers. Either don't have locks, or don't want to bother.

If a locker is such that the kid cannot put a lock on it, the student can go to the gym teacher and state clearly for the record that there are no remaining unbroken lockers. Would the teacher assume responsibility for the valuables? If no, could kid have a pass to the hall locker? Alternatively, if the student knows a kid in the same class, and that kid has a locker that can be locked, then could the kid with the busted locker place the valuables in the friend's locker.

As for locks being sawed off and lockers smashed to get at valuables, it may happen. But then those people would be caught going in and out of the locker room on the security cameras and they get nabbed. To smash a locker or saw off the lock takes some time and is not likely done by kids in the same class.

As for stopping theft, no the school does not believe it will stop all theft. But the measures will reduce the opportunity for theft. Any thief is opportunistic and will attack an unlocked locker rather than trying to tear a locked one apart. And to be sure it happens occasionally, but not very often. Virtually all the locker room thefts during the school day at Columbia are opportunistic, going into unlocked lockers.

So...tell son or daughter to use a lock. Then if the kid doesn't and tragedy strikes, the kid might learn how to take care of his things. We all lock our cars at night; we lock our homes at night; we take steps when we go out of town to reduce an opportunistic crook's perception that the house is vacant; we don't leave our valuables on a train bench and go off to the bathroom; and so on. CHS can't stop theft -- or at least we might be interested in how someone would suggest how we do it. We have cameras in the halls, We ask kids to bring locks for PE. We announce it. What is it that you suggest we do????

smoochie said:

here you go Callista

Thanks @smoochie!!!

ess said:

ctrzaska said:

That this has been allowed to go on for so long is inexcusable.

It's been going on since I was at CHS, and that was - ahem - a long time ago. It was inexcusable then, and it's inexcusable now.

Will the school be "distressed" if locks are broken or picked? Will the school care enough about the severity of this situation to make sure that all lockers in the changing rooms are fully functional? (A broken/malfunctioning locker door may not accommodate a lock, thus forcing students to "take the risk".) And does the school really think that getting kids to sign the f**king form will stop theft? Ugh.

I don't think a form will stop theft but it does remind the students that H.S. is no longer elementary school and yes, there are real world issues that plague it like theft, drugs and drinking and sadly even weapons.

My suggestion to the O.P.'s child is to get gym shorts with pockets to keep money in. A sad way to be confronted with the reality of the world but it's reality nonetheless.

This is a problem that went on when my kid were at CHS. More the boys room than the girls, and eventually my son left his backpack with his guidance person and put nothing in his gym locker.

There was a long list of stolen items over the years ( some items so rediculous it seemed the thieves just took stuff to see if they could, like a it was game.)--from a locked locker.

IT IS AN ON GOING PROBLEM.

Does locker room have doors that could be locked after kids have exited to be in gym? If not, could doors be installed? Is there a plan to fix/replace lockers with malfunctioning hardware?

I think during the quarter when there is swimming, it would be hard for kids to carry their lunch money on them. Don't know if there is enough time between classes to go to hallway locker to get money in between classes.

First of all - his locker was locked, with a lock that we purchased - a master lock. It takes about 10 seconds to break a master lock with a prybar. Second his was not the only locker that was hit as he said a whole row of lockers were open and the contents strewn about the floor. From what I hear it is impossible for him to get from his locker to the gym and back again in the 4 mins allowed.

Second there wasn't anything much of value in his locker besides his lunch money $10 plus his headphones. But the value is not the point. The fact that this is considered a "fact of life" is what's frustrating about living in a community like this one. I never, repeat NEVER had these issues when my eldest was at Chatham HS. Not saying it didn't happen, but never happened to us while we were there. Nor was anything ever stolen out of our cars at night, no attempted theft of our cars at the train station. etc. Also, not saying that Chatham was a wonderland - the people of MW are far friendlier so please lets not start that war. All i'm saying is that there is a certain level of tolerance here by saying that we (the victims) have to change our behavior rather than the criminals. And that is sad.

I will be writing a letter to the principal. I got very good results from the MMS principal when my son had his iphone stolen.

Jude said:

A form is sent home at the beginning of the year and students sign it acknowledging that they have read it. The form informs the student they have three options with respect to the gym lockers:
1) put your valuables in your hall locker before coming to gym;
2) bring your own lock which you may put on your gym locker for the period you have class, thereby keeping your valuables safe;
3) take a risk and leave your stuff in an unlocked locker.

It was announced many times and homeroom teachers made announcements about this. The letter informs the student that the school:
1) knows that thefts occur;
2) offers two viable options: put valuables in hall locker or bring a lock for gym;
3) will not be particularly distressed if a student ignores the suggestions.

The school cannot put cameras in the locker rooms and at best we might be able to spot someone going in or out of the locker rooms with the hall security cameras while class is going on.

While it is regrettable, every student was so informed and had a form to sign acknowledging it. Any other solution requires one of:
1) the addition of locker space equal in size to the locker space we now have throughout the building so each kid has his/her PE locker, and that space does not exist (or more accurately is the current set of hall lockers), or
2) place a guard inside each locker room for the entire period once kids exit for gym class and then leave when kids return, thus increasing the budget for security, or
3) place cameras in each locker room.

The first cannot be done as there is no space; the second will not be done for budgetary reasons; the third will not be done for obvious reasons.

While we all do not like the fact that some kids will steal, it is not much different than leaving your cell phone or GPS in an unlocked car overnight. You run the risk and it is difficult to blame the cops if you left your car unlocked. Here it is difficult to blame the school.

I asked my son about the form and it pissed me off even more. They acknowledge the fact that there is a problem but then say that they're really not responsible for any theft because they are transferring the responsibility back to the "victims". Typical CYA mentality. Sad state of affairs that we live like this.

What good are the suggestions if they are not practical? Again, it is not practical to run to your real locker, put your lunch money there, then run to gym, only to have to run all the way back to your locker to retrieve the lunch money. Is that really a solution?

When I read the title of this thread I thought it was about our taxes...

Any chance they could install a guard in the locker rooms during PE?

I am happy to volunteer one day out of the year to stand guard in the locker room--call it the Columbia Adult Watch program. Enter after kids come out of locker room, exit as they return.

Yeah, right, random people from the community monitoring locker rooms where teenaged girls and boys are getting undressed--that would work.

It wouldn't be when kids are getting dressed/undressed. A guard could monitor the locker rooms during class time, when the thefts generally occur.

Why aren't the locker rooms LOCKED during gym class? Simple solution if you ask me...