Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Police have identified a student who allegedly broke in to Tafuna Elementary School (early this week) after which several items were stolen.

Meanwhile, the Department of Education (ASDOE) has started installing security cameras at public high schools, to be followed by elementary schools.

Education director, Dr. Ruth Matagi-Tofiga has called on parents for their support. "Spend time to talk to your children, listen to them, know their problems. Lack of parental involvement is one of the causes why children are turning to illegal anti-social behavior and it is costly for the department.”

The break-in was outlined in an email letter from the school’s vice principal — also the acting principal — Lita M. Timoteo Manase to ASDOE officials, including Matagi-Tofiga, as well as Tualauta Rep. Larry Sanitoa seeking assistance, following the “break-in, vandalism & theft” that occurred this past weekend.

Sauituamaali’i Ifopo, the other VP, discovered the incident just after 6a.m, Monday morning. He was checking on the computer lab and noticed that the door was unlocked. Ifopo observed that the foam and boxes the laptops were in, as well as the plastic packaging for the laptops, were on the floor.

“Those who broke into our computer lab came through the window. The hammer that was used to pull screws off the window frame was in the computer lab,” said Manase, who detailed school property that was taken (including 18 laptops, 16 chromebooks & 2 HP laptops).

“Police were notified and within minutes, arrived at our school,” she said, noting that besides the computer lab, 4 classrooms were broken into as well. “It was such a disappointment to come in the morning and see such a sight.”

After discovering the incident, an “emergency assembly” was held, where the two vice- principals briefed the students and staff about what had happened.

“We also asked for their help on this matter. We encouraged the students to come forth if they have any information leading to the criminals and to hopefully get the laptops back,” she wrote. “Thankfully, after the assembly, a few students came in and shared what they knew. The police took their statements and we were hoping for good results.”

Manase recalled a meeting early this year with the Governor, where she shared concerns about recent incidents and requested a security guard specifically for night time/ after hours.

(Samoa News notes that this is the same issue cited by Tafuna HS, in an email to the school’s PTA president, following another break-in last month. See Samoa News Mar. 13 edition for details).

While funding may be the issue relating to hiring a night security guard, Manase said, “This is a dire need for our school. We lock our gates when we leave and yet, these criminals always manage to get into our campus.”

Manase’s email was sent out Monday afternoon, after many developments throughout the day with police presence on campus, and ASDOE maintenance working on securing the damaged classrooms.

Responding to a Samoa News request for comments, Matagi-Tofiga said this is a “great example of school leadership and DPS working together, and as a result, the culprit has been apprehended and all the stolen laptops have been recovered."

The director “applauded” Manase “for her leadership and working together” with police, saying Manase conveys “her gratitude to police officers Levao, Faiai, Mata'u and the Department of Public Safety for working on this case the whole day.”

Manase “is grateful for the constant communication between DPS and our school,” said Matagi Tofiga. “We were given frequent updates of the investigation. DPS was informed of the theft/ break-in before 8a.m and we received all the stolen items before we clocked out [in the afternoon].”

According to the director the culprit is a student, “and is now placed on indefinite suspension” and parents have been notified.

“This student needs help. He has been referred numerous times to Social Services. He is not doing well in school, skipping classes, and parents were also informed by the school to help the student,” said Matagi-Tofiga, adding that this student and other students are believed to be the same ones that broke into Tafuna HS.

She said she met with Manase, Ifopo and ASDOE deputy director Faauifono Vaitautolu on a security plan for Tafuna Elementary. “Security measures will be in place,” she said, adding that surveillance cameras are now installed in public high schools, starting with Tafuna, Leone and then Samoana, Nu’uuli Vocational Tech, and Fagaitua.

“We will also work on doing the same with our elementary schools. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Al Palmer for assisting DOE in getting these surveillance cameras installed,” she continued.

Manase is grateful for the immediate response from the DPW/ ASDOE maintenance division, as they arrived on campus as soon as they were called, and she is also grateful to her staff and the students. 

Sanitoa, after visiting the school, wrote a 'thank you' letter to Police Commissioner Le’i Sonny Thompson for the immediate police response and their work in moving the case forward — with the alleged culprit identified and the recovery of most of the stolen items, especially the laptops.

Sanitoa cc'd his letter to Matagi-Tofiga and thanked ASDOE for “working very hard with a contractor to install security cameras at our schools.”

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank DPS and DOE for all of the good work being done to strengthen the security system for our schools,” he concluded.