South LA elementary school vandalized 6 times since July; 'It infuriates me,' Carvalho says

SOUTH LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Two dozen classrooms at Wadsworth Avenue Elementary School in South Los Angeles were left in shambles after the school was burglarized and vandalized over the weekend.

There have been 171 incidents of vandalism or burglaries at LAUSD schools so far this semester.

On Monday, Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho toured the damage at Wadsworth Elementary with the school's principal.

"It infuriates me to know that a school like this one, that often struggles for the resources the students and parents need, would be burglarized, would be vandalized, would be stolen from six different times since July," Carvahlo said.

The school is currently in the process of installing cameras, but they haven't been switched on yet.

"It's mainly vandalism, which is, I think, what hurts the most. It's not like they're taking items, it's more just destruction, and it's disruptive for our students" said Jenny Guzman-Murdock, Principal of Wadsworth Avenue Elementary School.

It's roughly $115,000 in damages, according to the superintendent, which includes changing locks and washing away graffiti.

Knowing this school will be empty once again this week due to the Thanksgiving holiday is unnerving for parents and staff, but surveillance will be ramping up.

"We will deploy police resources around the school to ensure that, considering the fact that we're replacing doors and keys, that during that time period there's additional supervision," Carvhalo said.