Paso Robles middle school vandalized with fires, graffiti overnight

A Paso Robles middle school was vandalized Thursday evening when someone attempted to set several small fires and painted graffiti in areas around the campus.

Daniel E. Lewis Middle School near central Paso Robles still held classes on Friday, although two classrooms are unusable, according to a note sent to the school community by Paso Robles Joint Unified School District Superintendent Curt Dubost.

The person or people who vandalized the middle school were successful in setting one small fire on the campus, which resulted in some smoke damage to the two unusable classrooms, Dubost said.

The two classrooms should be back in use on Monday, Dubost said.

The Paso Robles Police Department and Fire and Emergency Services were at the school to investigate.

This is the second incident of vandalism at Lewis Middle School in the past year. On June 21, 2021, the school’s garden was trashed while students were away for summer break.

Other schools in San Luis Obispo County have also been vandalized in the past year. One, Oceano Elementary School, had classrooms vandalized multiple times in the fall.

Mackenzie Shuman

The Tribune

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Mackenzie Shuman primarily writes about SLO County education and the environment for The Tribune. She’s originally from Monument, Colorado, and graduated from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in May 2020. When not writing, Mackenzie spends time outside hiking and rock climbing.