As staff get ready for the start of the school year, one middle school teacher is dealing with the loss of thousands of dollars of computer equipment stolen from Oak Harbor Middle School sometime over the summer.

The yearbook students will feel the brunt of the lost equipment. The new computers and monitors were to be used by the group to put together next year’s yearbook.

“It’s the kids who are going to be suffering,” said Rebecca Roberts, a middle school teacher who served as yearbook advisor last school year.

The yearbook group lost two new computers and two 22-inch flat panel monitors. When Roberts stopped by in July, all she found was mice and keyboards but no equipment. Her work computer and another teacher’s computer were also taken.

In all, $5,500 worth of computer equipment was stolen from Oak Harbor Middle School during the summer break.

Roberts said she had received the computers and monitors in January, however because she had trouble transferring information from a Mac to a PC, she decided it would be best to use the new equipment this school year.

Oak Harbor Police Detective Mike Bailey said there wasn’t any evidence of forced entry into the school and the investigation still continues.

Anyone with information should call the Oak Harbor Police Department at 279-4622.