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UPDATE: A second school in Surrey has had PAC money stolen. Serpentine Heights Elementary PAC said they had between $15,000 and $20,000 stolen in July. The filed a police report on July 29 and Surrey RCMP began their investigation immediately.

A similar situation was also discovered at K.B. Woodward Elementary in Surrey:

The parent advisory council (PAC) at Surrey’s École K.B. Woodward has been saving up for three years to build a new playground. That money, as much as $30,000, is now gone.

“I was pretty angry, heartbroken,” PAC president Krystal Dumais said. “It’s pretty upsetting.”

The money was taken from the PAC bank account last week.

“This is a lot of money for the families, the school community, to have to replace,” Doug Strachan of the Surrey School District said. “It took a lot of fundraising to do it, by the parents, the students and the staff.”

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A similar incident happened last year in Saanich when $40,000 earmarked for a playground was stolen from the PAC at Keating Elementary School. Following a police investigation, a former PAC treasurer pleaded guilty to theft over $5,000.

The case in Surrey is now being investigated by RCMP.

Everyone at École K.B. Woodward is hoping that some, if not all, of the money can eventually be recovered.

“Hopefully everything gets resolved and we can figure out a way to get our playground because we promised the playground to these children and they’re pretty heartbroken,” Dumais said.

– With files from Catherine Urquhart