The Playschool Academy branch in Florida Park, Roodepoort, was robbed on Tuesday.
The school’s principal Anna Marie Vaughn spoke to Swisher Post exclusively about the events that transpired at the institution that’s situated on Ontdekkers Road.
Playschool Academy robbery: Here’s how it happened
According to Vaughn, two suspects entered the school building claiming that they were there to enrol their child for the 2021 academic year.
“They were very nicely dressed… I sprayed them with the disinfectant and everything. And then, we went into the office… I asked them to fill in the forms [but] they said ‘sorry, it’s not to enrol a child, it’s a robbery,” Vaughn said.
One of the suspects allegedly pulled out a 9mm pistol and ordered the Vaughn and the school’s founder Ivon Muller to lay on the ground.
“The one grabbed the school’s laptop and asked us for cellphones and money. The other one with the gun was walking around the school where the big kids are, to look for other teachers,” Vaughn continued.
All the teachers were rounded up into the office and the suspects allegedly demanded their cellphones. However, Playschool Academy has a rule against teachers keeping possession of their cellphones during school hours.
In a bid to de-escalate the situation, it’s alleged that Miller offered to give the suspects the school’s cellphone that’s often used to process fee payments.
“They took us and put us in the staff room. They locked us in that room but before they locked us they told us, ‘if I find any cellphones by you, I’m going to hurt you’. So, nobody had a phone [on them],” the school principal explained.
Will school resume on Wednesday?
The suspects scoured the property for more valuables and left shortly thereafter.
At the time of publishing this article, local authorities were on the scene combing for forensic evidence and taking down statements from victims of the robbery.
Vaughn confirmed that despite this incident, Playschool Academy would remain open. Fortunately, no one was hurt in the robbery, including the school pupils.