By HOI ABC

CHENOA – Vandals who punctured tires on seven school buses at a Chenoa elementary school put students’ safety at risk, the superintendent said Wednesday.

All 14 front tires of buses parked at Prairie Central Primary West were punctured, and several buses sustained other damage, said Superintendent Paula Crane in a letter to the community that was posted on the Chenoa Police Department Facebook page.

The buses were driven for a time after the vandalism because the punctures were undetectable, said Crane.

The district discovered the vandalism Tuesday.

“We feel extremely fortunate that tires stayed inflated until all students were safely transported to schools, after which multiple buses had to pull off the road and be repaired,” the superintendent said.

One of the buses had dropped off 70 of the district’s youngest students at school just moments before being forced to pull off the road, she said.

“It is extremely disappointing that, in the wake of the unimaginable school tragedy in Texas, someone would put our own students in this kind of danger,” said Crane.

Anyone with information about the vandalism is asked to call the Prairie Central Unit Office at 815-692-2504 or the Chenoa Police Department at 815-945-7111.