Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Theft Problem Being Taken Care Of

By JOHN MILLER

A problem of theft has been alleviated, though not stopped, at the Gurdon Middle School gym.

The issue of the thefts was discussed during a special called meeting of the Gurdon School Board Monday night, with Athletic Director John Pace and the rest of the Gurdon coaching staff on hand to answer questions.

Pace said when football season began in August there were 107 boys out for the different teams. He told the board there are enough lockers for 71 students in the field house, with some of them in poor repair.

This meant the rest of the players had to be moved to the gym so they would have somewhere to put their belongings.

However, the lockers in the gym, Pace said, have no doors, and if someone managed to get in the locker room there would be no problem for them to steal what's there.

Pace pointed out stealing is not just a problem in the Gurdon School District, but in all districts in all schools. "I don't endorse it, but it's just a problem in schools," he said. "Stuff is stolen all over school, not just in athletics. All we do is the best job we can, but we need a more secure place to lock stuff up."

The coaches brought a large clear garbage bag filled with clothing to the meeting with them, telling the board these articles were left by the students and never picked up. Pace said a good deal of what some may call stealing is just students being forgetful with their belongings.

"These are clothes that have accumulated over this season," Pace said. "These clothes were just left, not stolen. This is also a problem.

"I pick these clothes up, wash them and tell the students if anything of theirs is here to take it home.

"I've also had jewelry and money left in my desk."

He said part of the problem is students not being responsible for their own belongings.

During football season, Pace continued, the door to the field house stays open most of the time. This is because coaches and trainers need to go in and out throughout the day, as do players.

When the teams are on the fields practicing, he said, the coaches are always with them, but the field house remains open for the trainers.

People, he said, can conceivably come in off the street undetected. But the problem is not enough manpower to have someone in there all the time.

Pace reminded the board the thefts took place in the gym and not the field house.

"I don't know how they got in," he said of the thief or thieves. The doors, he continued, were supposed to be locked, but there are windows in the facility which cannot be closed and locked.

In addition, some windows were left open to air out the locker rooms after practices.

Pace said while the thefts are unfortunate it's hard to secure the gym's locker room. He said new lockers could be built, which would provide a safer place for students' belongings.

A list, he said, has been compiled of the articles reportedly stolen, with the parents receiving a letter on the issue.

Board member Jesse Runyan asked what the policy was for students not in athletics hanging around the gym.

Pace said several students have been run off repeatedly, but come back out because they want to be part of what's going on.

Assistant Football Coach Ed Reese said it's hard to keep the gym door locked because of overlapping practice time, and there is no coach available to sit in the gym and wait.

Another problem is the senior boys having athletics seventh period, while the girl's physical education class is sixth period. Both utilize the gym.

Pace said the gate to the practice field could be locked, but would have to be manned. He added the majority of the stealing done is not necessarily from children coming in off the streets, but from students on campus in school.

The biggest problem Pace has with children off the streets is them coming into the weight room, playing with the weights, or the practice sleds and in the water.

Billy Tarpley, a member of the board, said it's difficult for those going out for football to concentrate on the game if they're worried about being robbed.

He said those committing these crimes need to be caught and appropriately punished, even if it means expelling them.

Tarpley also voiced concerns about having a lot of people in the gym who don't belong there. He said this presents a liability problem for the district.

Pace said he didn't think the problem was with the coaches taking care of their groups as the thefts were occurring during practices when no one was around.

"This is not an isolated incident," he said. "We tell the students the risk they take by bringing their stuff here. I've had stuff stolen. A lot of the stuff stolen is probably an inside job, and I believe it's middle school students. Most of it happens after school when the players are at practice."

Bobby Smithson, Gurdon superintendent, said a good deal of the problem may be solved with the opening of the new gym at Gurdon High School.

This, he said, will cut down on the traffic at the GMS gym, and the GHS gym has lockers inside a cage which is more secure.

He added lockers would be built for the GMS facility.

Boys basketball coach John Ware said he was first notified of the theft problem during the Clark County Fair.

The next week, he provided a box for the students to leave their valuables in so he could lock it in his office. However, he said only a few students bothered to make use of the box.

The responsibility, he said, lies on both sides.

Ware said when he cleaned the gym out this summer he wound up with a bag of clothes and six pair of shoes which had been left unclaimed.