N. Phila charter school computers stolen

Marva Lafayette knows for sure she'll welcome about 300 students back to the Alliance for Progress Charter School on Sept. 2.

But Lafayette, the school's academic officer, doesn't know whether the children will have a computer lab to work in.

Sometime over the weekend, someone broke into the North Philadelphia school and removed 20 computers, most of which police found scattered around the school yard Monday - hard drives stashed under a large tarp, keyboards stuffed in trash cans, monitors in a shed.

"Everything was strategically placed so the person could continue to take things," Lafayette said.

The weekend's heavy rains soaked all the equipment, though, and no one is sure whether it can be salvaged.

Yesterday, Lafayette got some good news - a local fire and water cleanup firm offered to try to fix the computers for free.

"There are total angels all around us," she said.

Lafayette is crossing her fingers and hoping that the technicians can revive the computers, which were two years old and valued at about $10,000.

"I can't think of a whole school year without a computer lab," Lafayette said. "It's just not possible."

The school, which serves students in kindergarten through fifth grade, had hoped to buy some new computers, but only to replace 10-year-old machines, which the thieves didn't touch.

"We just don't have the finances to replace all those computers," Lafayette said.

The school relies heavily on technology - attendance and grading systems are online; the tutoring program uses the computers extensively.

Teachers were scheduled to begin training on the machines next week, when they return to school.

The thefts remained under investigation yesterday.