Cracking Down on Graffiti in Schools
Graffiti has long been a problem in schools. It is in all sorts of places, and is especially prevalent in areas where students have more access than the staff, like in the privacy of school lockers, or in the playground. Interestingly, in September 2013, to bring awareness to the issue in the UK, Rushmoor Borough Council and Hart District Council (that makes up the Safer North Hampshire community safety team) held a ‘Graffiti Focus Week.’ Aimed at letting people know that graffiti is illegal, the initiative aimed to encourage as many people as possible to remove as much of it as possible. In addition, the community safety projects officer, Richard Denham said that “as well as graffiti removal, there will be education sessions in schools, a ‘most wanted’ tag poster and increased patrols of hot spots.”
Graffiti in schools – apart from being criminal damage – is almost most unsightly and can cause a whole slew of problems for the school. For example, if prospective parents or donors are looking around and see graffiti throughout the school – in lockers, on podiums, in the gymnasium, at the cafeteria, in the playground etc. – then it immediately changes the entire reputation of a school. Even if the school is known for high academic scores, excellent staff and being an educational institute that is home to kids from good homes, the unsightly graffiti can completely change that impression.