Following vandalism at two public schools in Leone, over the weekend, Education Department director Dr. Ruth Matagi-Tofiga is calling for village and community support to stop school vandalism, which has become “costly” to the department.

“Vandalism at Leone High School and Leone Midkiff Elementary is a blatant disrespect to property as well as the community,” declared Matagi-Tofiga, yesterday.

“Everything that has been destroyed has been fixed, and it is costly,” she said in a brief statement. “To win this fight against school vandalism we need village and community support.”

Responding to follow up questions, Matagi-Tofiga said computers and laptops were stolen from Leone High School; and at Leone Midkiff, a television set and computers were stolen, along with food items from the school’s cafeteria.

Additionally, doors that had to be replaced cost DOE close to $10,000.

Based on information received by Samoa News early this week, both schools were broken into some time over the weekend and classrooms as well as offices along with the Leone High School gymnasium were vandalized, with graffiti sprayed on the walls of one office.

DOE officials said Monday afternoon that reports from the two schools were submitted to the DOE main office and the police have been informed.

One official said Monday that DOE will have to fix things that were destroyed “wasting money that can be used for other priorities such as classroom education” for students as well as the purchase of school supplies.

Matagi-Tofiga is urging village mayors, and village aumaga to assist DOE in securing school premises, through village curfews.

“We are a community that fosters village pride, schools are assets to our community and we should protect our schools as it is fundamental to the future of our children,” she said adding that principals of the two schools are now working with their respective parents and teachers’ associations and the Office of Samoan Affairs, through the village pulenu’u in “curbing school vandalism.”

Fofo county Rep. Fagaoatua Dorian Salave’a, a former Leone High principal, is also assisting his community of Leone in efforts to stop school vandalism, according to Matagi-Tofiga.