Stop stealing from our students
‘‘For me (stealing from a school) it’s the lowest really. They are taking from the kids.
‘‘Technology equipment, for a lot of kids, is something they may not have access to at home.
‘‘It feels like a violation. For our kids, I don’t want it to be like there is no justice. I don’t want the thieves to get away with it.’’
Matamata Police officer in charge Blair Hayde says people who steal from children need to ‘‘have a good hard look in the mirror’’.
‘‘It really shows how some people have no code, and inflict hardship on our innocent children.
‘‘To put your desires ahead of the education of children, how low can you go?’’
The iPads are now in lost mode, as soon as they turn on, a notification will come on saying it is stolen from Te Kura o Waharoa.
Hayde warns that anyone caught with stolen property will be charged with receiving stolen property.
‘‘The item will be taken from you, your house searched for other items and any money you paid is history.’’
Tait said the morning following the break-in, she and the staff were feeling very discouraged.
It was the students who got
‘‘We went into assembly and the kids started singing and we just decided to carry on.’’
them through it.
‘‘We went into assembly and the kids started singing and we just decided to carry on.
‘‘So when you are feeling down, you sit with the kids and they pick you up.’’
Tait said she is hopeful the rest of the equipment will be recovered.
For now, it’s just moving forward and not dwelling in anger.
‘‘You have the mind set, that there is different respect for schools, but obviously not.
‘‘The community, our whanu and parents are really upset, they want to know who did this.
‘‘We are mindful of people throwing around accusations. We want people to come forward if they know anything.’’
Tait says the stolen equipment is covered by insurance. Until all the paperwork has been filed, the kids will go without their IT equipment.