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Vandals force cancellation of classes in Collinsville

Students in the Collinsville Community Unit School District 10 got an extended winter break this year after vandals flattened tires on the school buses that transport students.

Maureen Richmond, a spokeswoman with First Student Inc.,  says a maintenance man entered the bus lot around 5am Friday to begin pre-trip maintenance on the fleet. He discovered that at least one tire on all of the nearly 80 buses on the lot had been flattened. It was not clear if the tires were slashed or simply deflated.

The company has other buses, Richmond says, but "unfortunately with the number of tires that were flattened, we were not able to assist in the transportation of students this morning."

Collinsville superintendentDennis Crafttold the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the lot, at 1202 Lebanon Rd. in Collinsville, did not have security cameras.

Students who had final exams scheduled for Friday will take them after the winter break, Craft said. He told the Post-Dispatch that in his 38 years with the district, he has never seen this level of vandalism.

Rachel is the justice correspondent at St. Louis Public Radio.