Vandals Deflate School Bus Tires, First Day of School Canceled

CONCORD, Mich. — A school district here was forced to cancel the first day of school after staff members found flattened tires on a number of buses on Wednesday morning.

The Jackson County Office of the Sheriff is investigating the incident at this time, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office. The initial information suggests that 10 Concord Community Schools buses had at least one tire flattened, making a significant portion of the fleet inoperable.

Dan Funston, the superintendent for the district, told MLive that the tires were drained of air to the point that they were off the rims, and there wasn’t enough time to fill them up sufficiently before school started. He added that it was disappointing because “A lot of kids were excited to come in for the first day of school after last night's open house,” and that a majority of students who attend the district’s schools rely on the bus to get there.

The incident occurred either late Tuesday evening or early Wednesday morning, according to the news release. The scope and amount of damage is being determined at this time. Deputies will work closely with the district to identify the individuals responsible for the incident, according to the sheriff's office.