Published: March 20, 2008 10:32 pm         

Parents’ obligation: Students need control even while on spring break

Spring break is supposed to be a time of fun and relaxation for students and parents alike.

Unfortunately, this year spring break is becoming known as vandalism spree time in Enid.

Vandals have struck neighborhoods all week by bashing mailboxes, damaging property and shooting windows with BB guns. We don’t know that students are responsible for the vandalism spree, but most people jump to that conclusion when vandalism happens when school is out for a break.

Both school-age and college-age students are out on break this week. The weather has been pretty good, so it’s possible that more teens or young adults are out carousing around in the late evening hours. It takes no time at all to get in a car, drive down a street with a ball bat and crunch mailboxes or smash windows.

Parents need to be aware of where their teens are during spring break. If they are out late at night, parents should be aware of what they are doing. It’s perfectly OK to ask questions and check up on the kids. Even better, parents should also make certain their kids are at home by curfew time.

A $1,000 reward is being offered in this week’s vandalism spree, and authorities are hoping the large monetary reward will lead someone who has knowledge of these vandals to give that information up.

That kind of money would buy a lot of video games, CDs, DVDs and MP3 players.

Whether the vandals are kids or adults, it’s time to put a stop to this nonsense by finding and prosecuting the perpetrators to the fullest extent of the law.