A 16-year-old has been detained in connection to the vandalization of McDuffie County School System buses in the early morning hours on Thursday, March 2.
According to Kristopher Wells, the public relations and communications specialist for the school system, 23 out of 63 school buses were damaged when the juvenile suspect entered the McDuffie County School System transportation lot. The suspect, who was apprehended by school resource officers and law enforcement, is a current student in McDuffie County and “was being served off campus because of a previous incident.”
The vandalization meant that some bus routes were unable to be run Thursday, and students who were not able to find alternative transportation would receive an excused absence, according to the school system. The incident did not alter normal operations for Thompson High School.
Criminal charges have been filed against the individual, according to the school system.
“Officials are working to calculate damage estimates for both the buses and school property,” the school system said in a statement.
In a Facebook post Thursday afternoon, the school system said that all bus routes will run as scheduled on Friday, March 3.
“We are using buses from Columbia County to replace the damaged buses in our fleet,” the Facebook post said. “Each driver will call to inform parents of the newly assigned bus number if affected. Thank you for your patience as we navigate this situation.”
No other information is available at this time.
