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Jul 8, 2008 5:48 pm US/Central
Metal Thieves Hit Another Fort Worth High School
FORT WORTH (CBS 11 News) ―
Another Fort Worth school has fallen victim to metal thieves. Over the July 4th weekend burglars stole copper and aluminum from air conditioning units at South Hills High School.
The metal was stolen from 14 separate air conditioning units used to cool three buildings at the school located at 6101 McCart.
Since summer school is currently in session, students had to be moved to different classrooms.
"That's very sad to me, to see that they're making a couple of bucks but it's costing our students way more than they are making," Principal Nancy Weisskopf said.
The theft comes at an especially bad time since district-wide TAKS testing is scheduled to take place a South Hills next week. School leaders say they are 're-assessing location options' for the testing.
Weisskopf says the school will have to make due with what they have. "Looks like we'll have to use both gyms as well as our cafeteria to do testing in those areas. So we'll have to be bringing in tables, chairs [and] extra test monitors."
There are security cameras at the school and video shows someone on the roof pointing the cameras downward at approximately 2:49 a.m. on Monday July 7th.
South Hills administrators continue to comb through security camera video hoping to spot something that will lead them to the suspects.
School officials estimate damage at more than $20,000.
South Hills High is the second Fort Worth school, in three weeks, to be hit by metal thieves. Last month burglars stole metal and caused more than $130,000 in damage to rooftop air conditioning units at Polytechnic High School.
Schools in the Arlington, Northwest and Everman ISDs have also been the target of metal thieves. The electric box at Everman Junior High was hit Tuesday morning and last week, the high school athletic fields also made the list.
The electric box operated sprinkler systems for the athletic fields and copper wiring was stolen from the press box and concession stand. Repair bills will cost the school district some $20,000.
Everman administrators have hired additional overnight security and volunteers have also agreed to patrol school grounds.
Anyone with information about the burglary or who was in the vicinity of South Hills High early Monday morning is asked to call Fort Worth police or Crime Stoppers of Tarrant County at 817-469-TIPS.
A $5,000 Crime Stoppers reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest in the Polytechnic theft.
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