A youth development center in southwest Little Rock had to turn children away Monday morning after the school's air conditioning units were vandalized over the weekend by people who stole the copper from the unit's wiring.
Vernon Thomas, director of the Arkansas Better Chance For School Success Program, said the In His Image Youth Development Center, located at 5705 W. 65th St., had to turn away nearly 170 students because many of the classrooms had no access to air conditioning.
He said while school officials were able to contact several parents in the morning, some students had to be turned away at the doors.
“They don’t really have another child care option,” Thomas said. “Some of them will have to take off work, or get the kid’s grandparents' help, or find some other source.”
Noni Harville, coordinator for the Arkansas Better Chance For School Success Program, said there have been a string of robberies in the area, most of them related to thieves looking to steal copper from the wiring of air conditioning units.
“You know, we’ve been hit before,” Harville said. “And we got a fence and installed a shock system on those, but we never expected they’d climb up on the roof and destroy the new units we got.”
Thomas said the thieves did about $150,000 worth of damage.
Carmen Jews, a teacher for 3- to 5-year-olds at In His Image, said she got in touch with parents before they dropped off the kids in her class, but she had no answers when they asked when the school would be open again for them.
“We just have no idea right now,” Jews said. “People can like us on Facebook or call the school, and we’ll have updates about when we will be available again.”
In His Image can be reached at (501) 562-3910.