Hillhouse High School Vandalized After Break-In

New Haven Police and the city’s school system are investigating an apparent break-in and vandalism at James Hillhouse High School earlier this week.

New Haven Public Schools officials told NBC Connecticut Monday that custodians entered the Sherman Parkway school building and found signs of an apparent break-in as well as vandalism to office spaces and classrooms.

An alarm in the building did not sound, apparently due to a wiring issue. The school’s video system was operational and could help police identify a suspect.

In the neighborhood surrounding the school, community members were shocked and disappointed about the still unsolved incident.

“They should respect what the school stands for. Hillhouse has come such a long way. It’s such a productive school now” Lotheria Nelson, who went to Hillhouse, said.

Hillhouse parent, Patrice Smith, shared similar feelings.

“That’s sad that someone would do that to a school,” she said.

Some people from the community, including Philip Bynum who mentored at Hillhouse in 2016, said the incident is an indicator of the need for more opportunity in the community.

“There’s a lot of young kids out there with nothing to do. We’ve got to find some kind of purpose, reason, some kind of thing to get them more occupied in the summer,” Bynum said.

New Haven School officials are working with police to assess the total damage and cost of the incident.

Anyone with information should call New Haven Police.

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