Principal says
Thefts taken seriously at high school


GUILDERLAND — Thefts come in "spurts" at Guilderland High School, said Principal Michael Piccirillo yesterday. "Students have to be part of the solution."
He went on, "They have to keep track of their belongings and let us know information. Many times, they know more then we do."

Kids, these days, pack many small and expensive devices when they go to school.

This week, the Enterprise editor received a letter from Colleen Leclair, who is upset that her daughter’s iPod was taken from the girls’ locker at the high school. Her son, who is a senior at the high school, has, as a student there, had two cell phones stolen, as well as a graphing calculator and money from his wallet, said Leclair.

Graphing calculators and iPods can cost several hundred dollars.
"It’s so commonplace, it’s not a big deal," she said of the school’s attitude towards the thefts. "There are signs posted in the locker room that say it’s a high-theft area and you should watch your belongings."
Asked about the signs, Piccirillo said, "They’re to remind our young adults there’s always that potential."
He went on, "We monitor the locker rooms. Monitors go in when students are in gym class to make sure no one’s doing what they shouldn’t do."
Piccirillo said he wouldn’t call school thefts "widespread" at Guilderland and that the amount of theft was "typical" for a high-school. "Kids today carry items of value so there’s a potential for that to happen," said the principal. "Guilderland’s not out of the ordinary."
The consequence of theft is an automatic suspension, said Piccirillo. "We do press charges through the Guilderland Police Department," he said. "We take it seriously"We use our school resource officer to investigate thoroughly. We don’t close a case. We’ll continue to follow leads."
He concluded, "We’re not always successful, but we don’t blow it off."
Piccirillo called the school thefts "disturbing" and said, "It violates the values of our community — the school community and the wider community."
He also said that many forgotten items are brought to the school’s lost-and-found center by other students. "We have cell phones and iPods in lost-and-found that students have forgotten." He said it’s very gratifying when they can be returned to their owners.