On Feb. 1, a Coppell family’s front door was broken by an object thrown by a group of teenage boys.
It was not an isolated incident. The same boys had previously harassed the family, banging on their door and calling them racial slurs.
While one of the more extreme instances, this was not the first case of vandalism in the Coppell community in recent years. From the viral “devious lick” trend from 2021 in which students stole appliances from CHS9 and Coppell High School bathrooms to the often trashed collaboration spaces at CHS, the damage of public property in our community and schools poses a major problem.
Whether it be drawing on the walls of restroom stalls or attempting to flush large objects down the toilets in the fieldhouse bathrooms, carelessness towards school property affects not only other students but the school as a whole. No one wants to use a filthy bathroom stall or walk all across the school to find a bathroom that is not closed for repairs.
Although these actions may be viewed as simple, harmless pranks on their own, the negative effects of continuous destruction of property compound together to represent a much larger issue: a lack of respect – respect for the spaces you are in, respect for the resources available to you and respect for your peers and neighbors.
At CHS, we have the privilege to use equipment and technology that benefit our learning experiences that many other high school students elsewhere are not as privileged to have, such as the cameras used by The Sidekick, KCBY-TV and Round-Up yearbook, the machinery present in the engineering lab and the stage equipment used by theater.
If we cannot treat our classrooms and bathrooms responsibly, how should we be trusted to take care of such expensive equipment?
With Coppell ISD battling a budget deficit, vandalism continues to cause detrimental consequences. Every drawn-on table that needs to be replaced and every clogged toilet that must be fixed due to irresponsible actions presents additional costs for the district, wasting money and resources that can be used elsewhere to enhance learning experiences. Rather than purchasing new equipment, such as Apple pencils or tools for CTE courses, money is wasted on menial repairs.
At CHS, the GRIT philosophy guides our everyday actions and interactions, and the approach we take to school property should be no different. Having gratitude for the facilities and equipment we have access to; respecting the spaces we live and learn in; showing integrity in how we treat such spaces; trusting our peers to exercise the same ideals.
Our teachers instill in us principles of respect and dignity in the classroom, and we must have those principles in mind when interacting with the physical spaces of our classrooms and facilities. Treat the spaces you work in with a level of decorum, being cognizant of the effects of your actions on the wellbeing of others and the consequences of your actions.
