In response to frequent locker room thefts, the school has recently taken precautionary procedures. The locker rooms will now be closed during all periods except before school, brunch, lunch, and after school.
Locker room theft has been a frequent occurrence in the girl’s locker room. The week of March 4, a group of girls stole items including money, credit cards, phones, airpods, and a brand new pair of tennis shoes.
“I locked my smaller [locker] that had my phone it in, but I didn’t lock my backpack… When I came back it was open and my wallet was on the floor.”
According to physical education teacher Tami Kittle, some students left their backpacks in the open rather than in a secure locker, making them vulnerable to theft. In addition, doors to the team rooms and locker room have usually been left unlocked during class periods without supervision.
“When we’re not here, no one’s in here, and when kids don’t follow the rules, they basically put their backpack on the streets of San Francisco and said I hope nobody takes it,” Kittle said.
Kittle said the PE teachers have narrowed down suspects of the recent incidents to 12 different girls, one of which was expelled for stealing someone’s phone. Kittle added that the thefts were most likely executed by freshmen and sophomores who had been let out of their classes early and went to the locker rooms.
Freshman Josie Penix had money taken from her backpack during her sixth period PE class when she put it in her locker but didn’t lock it. According to Penix, other people in her row of lockers lost their phones, credit cards, and school identification cards, as well as one person’s house keys.
“It was the one day I didn’t lock my backpack,” Penix said. “I locked my smaller [locker] that had my phone it in, but I didn’t lock my backpack… When I came back it was open and my wallet was on the floor.”
Incidents like this have happened in the past, and similar events have happened in the boy’s locker room too, but Kittle said these thefts have most frequently occurred in the girl’s locker room.
“We’ve had a lot of thefts before, but the main reason is that freshmen don’t believe us and they leave their backpacks out and don’t lock their things up,” Kittle said.
According to Kittle, students have previously been caught not only stealing things, but vaping, smoking marijuana, and bleaching their hair in the locker room area.
Featured image courtesy of Akhand Dugar.