TIJUANA The warm weather notwithstanding, summer vacation ended for students who returned to schools Monday in Baja California.
In Tijuana, 328,568 students of public and private schools from preschool to high school returned to more than 1,000 campuses, according to the State Education System.
Some schools were burglarized or vandalized during the two-month summer break, though the exact number wont be known for a few days.
Parents and staff of elementary school Alessio No. 1, for example, located in the Chula Vista neighborhood on the citys south side, reported that electrical cables had been stolen and so classes were starting without power.
Some principals reported that thieves had stolen computers and other office equipment, while others complained that their facilities had been tagged with graffiti.
The states education representative in Tijuana, César Sánchez, said in a statement that officials would work as quickly as possible to help the schools that had suffered losses. And he announced that the state would distribute school supplies and grants as was customary.
Students at all public schools received their free set of books from the state, and in certain low-income schools, the federal government gave a package of supplies to the students.
As for their parents and the population at large, their summer vacation was over, too.
Traffic snarled the citys main streets, particularly around 8 in the morning, and at 1 and 5 in the afternoon, with motorists waiting as long as 35 minutes to cross some intersections.
Omar.millan@sandiegored.com
