(OSV News) -- A Catholic school building in Kansas has been extensively vandalized, with the perpetrators defacing the property with swastikas.
The sheriff's office of Barton County, Kansas, stated on its Facebook page that it had been dispatched on July 10 at approximately 5 p.m. to St. Ann's Catholic School in Olmitz following a report of vandalism.
"Deputies arrived and found the school had been broken into," said the sheriff's office in its July 11 post. "Unknown persons entered the building causing extensive damage to the interior of the building and other property inside the building."
Images included in the post showed chairs and tables upended, with books and papers strewn across the floors of what appeared to be several rooms. A stairwell was blocked by debris, with furniture, fabrics, crayons and books littering the steps.
In one photo, a large swastika had been formed on a desktop with what appeared to be a white powder. In another image, a chalkboard could be seen with a red swastika, under which was written "all Hail Hitler."
The markings stood in stark contrast to a banner above the chalkboard that featured an angel blowing a trumpet and the words "Rejoice in the Lord."
The sheriff's office, which noted in its Facebook post that "the total cost of the damage is not known at this time," has asked those with any information to confidentially contact the Crime Stoppers line at 620-792-1300 or 888-305-1300.
OSV News has contacted the pastor of St. Ann's parish, Father Warren Stecklein, as well as the Diocese of Dodge City, Kansas, for comment and is awaiting a response.
The Kansas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations denounced the attack in a July 11 statement.
"We condemn this apparently bias-motivated attack on a religious institution and urge law enforcement authorities to swiftly apprehend and punish those responsible to the full extent of the law," said CAIR-Kansas Board Chair Moussa Elbayoumy.
He also pointed to the organization's "Best Practices for Mosque and Community Safety" as a security resource for faith communities.
According to a Sept. 21, 2013, article in the Great Bend Tribune of nearby Great Bend, Kansas, St. Ann's School opened in 1903, staffed by the Sisters Adorers of the Most Precious Blood. The church and school were rebuilt following a 1913 fire.
A shortage of teaching sisters led to the school's closure in the mid 1970s, although the building continued to be used by the parish for religious education and youth events, according to the Great Bend Tribune. Local media reported that the building is used for parish activities during the school year. The school is not listed on the Diocese of Dodge City's website.
