Two people were allegedly found living at, and even on, an elementary school in Augusta last week.
The assistant superintendent said the people were camped out at Lillian P. Hussey Elementary School over the last weekend in July. When a custodian returned to work on a Monday morning, she found a ladder that didn’t belong to the school, then she found people living on the roof.
The assistant superintendent said police escorted the two people living in a makeshift campsite off the property. They were not arrested.
The incident comes at a time when residents say the city has a homelessness problem.
“There are people that cannot sustain themselves in a house or a home or a job and have to live on top of a school roof. That’s really concerning,” Augusta resident Payton Miller said.
The assistant superintendent said they have not heard any concerns from parents, but a parent interviewed by CBS 13 had questions.
“I don’t like the idea of it,” Augusta parent Tina Derry said. “I get it might be a secure place for them, and they might feel safe, but being a parent and with everything going on in the world, there’s so many shootings, it’s just not safe for our children.”
Some people who live near the school were concerned that some of their property had been stolen from the trespassers on the roof. Others had no idea they were ever there.
“I [am] around the school a couple times a day, every single day, and never saw any sign of anybody being there,” neighbor David Roubik said.
The assistant superintendent said the staff will not increase security. He says the school already keeps the doors locked and has cameras on site. The campsite area has been cleaned up, he said, and staff will continue to monitor the campus before the first day of school at the end of the month.
