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Vandalism costs SCBE '"e==menll Loci Vandalism of Simcoe County Board of Education property cost $156,255 in 1985, and $60,419 in the first eight months of 1986. In this area, the school board's Area 3, 204 in- cidents of vandalism oc- curred in 1985, 127 in the first eight months of 1986. Breaking of windows is the most common form of vandalism. Schools which have been damaged or from which property has been stolen at a greater than average rate have been equipped with surveillance systems, the school board says. A report made public at the Nov. 12 school board meeting states, '""The cost to taxpayers in Simcoe County due to vandalism and theft of board proper- ty declined in 1983 and 1984 but increased somewhat in 1985 due in part to increased costs of labour and material. The first eight months of 1986 again indicated a declining cost." The report says the placement of surveillance systems in some schools "likely" has been a factor leading to the drop in the cost of vandalism. The report also states, "'It has been the policy of this board to vigorously pursue offenders in order to at- tempt restitution for all thefts and damages." The report does not iden- tify the schools or list the equipment which has been purchased to combat van- dalism and theft. "While there are securi- ty checks made by board personnel after school hours, the most effective means of preventing these heavy losses is through the co-operation of the people in the school community in identifying the persons responsible for damage or theft or by their advising local police or education 'officials of any suspicious activities on school proper- ty,"' the report states. Surveillance systems available include audio and heat detectors, door swit- ches and electric eyes. Board policy is to publicize cases of van- dalism only when, as a result, normal school ac- tivities are disrupted. Staff adopts philosophy The second largest Sim- coe County Board of Education school has a negligible problem with vandalism, its principal says. Two windows have been broken since the start of the school year in September. Principal Dave Chambers attributes part of the reason for the lack of vandalism to the clean, bright and friendly at- mosphere which he fosters. Area head custodian Gene Shannon is responsi- ble for Bayview School and Port McNicoll Public School as well as Midland Secondary. Location of the school is a factor, he says. Also, '""The administration has a pretty tight hold on the kids.' Given the size of the school and the number of students, vandalism is less than average, in his experience. Midland Police response time to the school in the event of a break-in is 90 seconds, Chambers says. The school has been equip- ped for two years with sen- sors which announce the presence of intruders. Chambers says that the students are encouraged to think of MSS, "This is my school.'"' The cafetorium, the space which doubles as cafeteria and auditorium, is decorated with framed photographs of students. Wall space above lockers is decorated with art drawn by students. Large wall spaces are decorated with student art. OPP begin RIDE An offer of a free seatbelt cutter will be made to some of the drivers who will be stopped in the near future by the Midland OPP. The Ontario Provincial Police are getting ready for the now-annual Christmas- New Year's season Reduce Impaired Drivers Everywhere (RIDE) program. Canadian Tire is donating a limited number of seatbelt cutters to police for distribution. In the 1985-86 Christmas-New Year's season in Ontario, 165,429 drivers were stopped. Nine hundred and _ thirty-four were charged with im- paired driving. Police gave 1,726 12-hour suspensions. No one died in a traffic accident in that period a year ago, the OPP says. Bridge winners by M. Peter shaw The Coldwater. Bridge Club held duplicate games on Nov. 17. The afternoon Novice winners were Lloyd Attridge, Dave Parker with 65 per cent, with Ross and Sheila Hawkins of Victoria Har- bour second. The evening game was an exciting event, with Dac Harris of Severn Falls, and George Kingsborough, of Port Severn, winning with 62 per cent. Other winners were Jim Hughes and John Dowling of Midland, and Rea Kingsborough with Dot Harris. The Coldwater Club held its charity championship on Nov. 24, featuring three and a half hours of cham- pionship bridge at a cost of $2.75 per player, of which $1.75 is donated to the Canadian Lung Associa- tion for cancer research. On Dec. 1 the club Novice championships will be held. Any player who does not hold 20 or more master points in the ACBL rating is invited to attend. Play: starts at 1 p.m. Page 4, Tuesday, November 25, 1986 \ aoe \ ale Warm background Vandalism is not a problem at Midland Secondary School, its principal, and head custodian, say. Principal Dave Chamber's philosophy is that by making the school a walls of which are lined with framed photographs of students, and decorated with flags of nations of the world. people place, students are apt to think of the building as their building. This group of MSS students stands in the school's cafeteria, the CHILD TAX CREDIT § PREPAYMENT PROGRAM $300 Per Child If you qualify, your cheque is in the mail. Who Qualifies? You'll automatically receive an advance payment of $300 per child if you meet the following conditions: e Your net family income in 1985 was $15,000 or less, @ You have a dependent child or children who will be under 18 years of age on December 31, 1986, e You received a child tax credit this year for that child or those children. Why is the government doing this? The advance payment, a part of the child tax credit, is designed to assist over 750,000 low-income families with children. Among other things, it will reduce the pressure on these families to discount their child tax credit cheque. What about the rest of my credit? To receive the rest of your 1986 child tax credit simply fill out the child tax credit form on your 1986 income tax return. The maximum credit per child is $454.00, up from $384.00 in 1985. And if I don't qualify for the advance payment? If you received Family Allowance for a child or children this year, : you may still be eligible for a maximum or partial credit. To find out, simply fill out the Child Tax Credit form on your 1986 income tax return. For more information See the insert in your November Family Allowance cheque or contact your nearest district taxation office. (The number and address are in the government pages of your telephone book). 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