On Friday morning, October 26th, a targeted burglary at Westwood Elementary left students without 10 new iPads and one MacBook Pro. Westwood students held fundraisers for the past year and collected over $5000 to purchase the devices. The theft of the equipment left a pall over the school on Friday after SCPD left and Principal Andrew Lucia wheeled the empty iPad recharging cart across campus. “Kids were so excited to start using the iPads,” said Lucia. “The iPads were almost ready with the necessary apps for second graders to start using them. We won’t be able to give them this type of extra literacy support until we can raise another $5,000.” He added, “Students are really sad but are already talking about fundraising again. They really want to use the new technology!”
Santa Clara Police Department is actively investigating the crime. Anyone with information regarding this theft is encouraged to contact Detective Sergeant Pat Nikolai at (408)615-4828. Any help with this effort is most appreciated. Community members interested in helping the Westwood students replace the equipment, can send checks made payable to Westwood Elementary- iPad Donation Program to Westwood Elementary, 435 Saratoga Ave., Santa Clara, CA 95050. To contact the school, call (408) 423-4300.