5 bicycles owned by Anchorage School District stolen from Chugach Optional Elementary

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Five bicycles were reported stolen from an Anchorage elementary school over the weekend.

A staff member from Chugach Optional School retrieved one of the missing bikes from the north fence of the school on Sunday. By Monday, they realized that four other bikes were missing and that the Anchorage School District trailer that held the bikes had been broken into.

Chugach Optional Principal Joel Akers said that these special bikes are adjustable and designed to be ridden by students in second through sixth grades.

“These are important because they travel throughout the entire Anchorage School District to all the elementary schools during the fall and spring periods when they can ride bikes,” Akers said. “They’re used in P.E. to give kids exposure to riding bikes, not every child in the Anchorage School District has access to a bicycle, so it teaches them the fundamentals of riding a bike but we also teach bike safety with this program, too.”

Akers says it was surprising to him, considering the school has a well-lit and secured campus, with lights being shined onto the campus 24 hours a day.

“I for certain think this is going to impact the students, right now we have at least four kids who don’t have access to a bike when they’re at school,” Akers said. “So that has a potential impact that’s pretty powerful.”

Akers says he believes it will in turn impact every elementary school across the district. Akers encouraged Anchorage residents to keep an eye out for the distinctive look of the bikes.

“A lot of them are green but they can come in some different colors. like orange or red, but the idea is that it is the shape of the bike that’s really distinctive and they all say ‘Bike Friday’ on them and ‘OSATA,’ which stands for One Size Adjusts to All,” said Akers.

Anchorage residents who may see the bikes are encouraged to call the Anchorage Police Department and report it. Additionally, anyone who observes suspicious circumstances around Anchorage schools can call 311 as a preventative measure.

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