LOWELL, Mich. — For the second day in a row, Bushnell Elementary School in Lowell is closed for cleaning. This past weekend, police say vandals broke into the building.
Superintendent Nate Fowler said the vandals discharged fire extinguishers inside the school. Due to the amount of damage, the building was closed to students Monday and Tuesday. Fowler said books, toys and more were damaged in the incident.
In a statement Monday on Facebook, the district said the clean-up work has been "painstakingly slow to get the buildings ready for staff and students."
Lowell Police Detective Gordy Lauren said three juveniles were identified as involved, as well as other vandalism incidents this past month. According to Lauren, the three admitted to everything Sunday morning to police.
This is the most recent in a string of vandalism Lauren said are connected at Lowell Schools. They began about four weeks ago, and included vandalism at Cherry Creek Elementary, Lowell Middle School, and the bus garage. It is unclear the extent of damage to these other locations.
At this time, police say they are still estimating the cost and extent of the damage done to Bushnell Elementary School. However, Lauren called it "quite a bit." He said in situations like these, usually what happens is the parents of those responsible will have to pay for the damage.
Lauren also said the three identified as involved were not students of the targeted schools.
Fowler also said he is hopeful for the opportunity to process what happened for students and staff. He commended the Lowell community and Bushnell Elementary parents for their outpouring of support.
According to the district's Facebook post, students will notices books in the media center have been removed for cleaning, and some kindergarten and GSRP classrooms may have toys or student work removed. Impact on the first grade classrooms was limited.
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