Local News

Vandals Bury Jagged Glass in Playground

Posted Updated

RALEIGH — May 2, 1996 - 7:45 p.m. EDT

Wake County Public Schools has sent its groundskeepers out to Douglas Elementary School Thursday afaternoon to remove all broken glass pieces and replace sand on the playground

Vandals had buried pieces of jagged glass around playground equipment at Douglas Elementary School in Raleigh, leaving students with the task of picking up the pieces Wednesday afternoon.

Three students received minor cuts. The playground will be closed until Friday.

It was obvious that someone deliberately placed the shards of glass so the sharp points would be exposed in sand and at the bottom of a slide.

"I think the kids would agree that it's actually been pointed directly up so if that's not deliberate, I don't know what is," said Jeff Haggerty, the school's soccer coach.

Someone even tried to camouflage the glass, putting green pieces in the grass and the brown ones in the sand.

"It's hard to believe somebody would do something like that," said Laura Miller, a parent.

"Like most schools, we have a certain amount of vandalism," said Douglas Principal Gary Gammill. "A broken window, somebody writing on a wall. But we've never had anything this vicious.

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