ART ATTACK
Misery for pupils as yobs trash special needs school THREE times in 12 days
THUGS snacked on McDonald’s food during a raid on a special needs school.
Pupils were left in tears when they discovered equipment had been stolen and their artwork destroyed.
Cardinal Winning school has now been targeted three times in 12 days.
THUGS took a McDonald’s meal to snack on while they raided a special needs school.
Cardinal Winning Secondary has now been hit three times in 12 days with vandals stealing vital equipment, trashing a classroom and smashing windows.
Children wept when they were told of the disrespect shown to their school and the loss of their hard work.
Head teacher Gerard McDonald said: “It is really upsetting for children to come along and see something they have been working on for weeks trashed by ink and paint.
“Our young people invest a lot in school, they love coming to school and then they come in and see this. There is real emotional damage here. I am disgusted.”
The Tollcross school was first targeted on November 9 when thugs broke in with a McDonald’s meal and had an evening picnic before making off with nine iPads containing children’s school work.
On November 13, thugs returned but this time were unable to get into the building – so instead they smashed windows and doors.
Then, on November 21, vandals came back to discover teachers had locked individual classrooms so they trashed the art room, pouring ink and paint on every surface and destroying weeks of pupils’ work.
Alice McSorley is mum to S1 Pupil Aidan. She said: “Children go to Cardinal Winning school because it is a bright, happy and joyful school where they feel safe.
“Vandals who cause this damage don’t realise what they are doing.”
Alice said Aidan, 12, came home from school and told her: “They stole our iPads, smashed our windows and now you should see the state of our beautiful art room. I hate those vandals.”
The school is now looking to invest in CCTV and Mr McDonald is calling on the close-knit community to keep an eye out for the school.
Mr McDonald said Cardinal Winning is so involved in the local community that when a house nearby caught fire yesterday, the school helped out with tea for residents.
He added: “We cannot believe this would have been anyone local to the school and have been told it may have been certain youths from Shettleston.
“We need help from our local community to find and report the people who do this.
“We urge neighbours to phone the police should they see anyone acting suspiciously in our school grounds.”
Chris Cunningham, City Convener for Education, Skills and Early Years, added: “Why would anyone want to steal from young people with additional support needs?
“These mindless vandals should be ashamed of themselves for the mess and upset they have caused.”