CHINATOWN — When staff at the Shuang Wen Academy Network arrived at work one morning this week, they were startled to find that someone had broken into their office and ransacked it.
Workers at the nonprofit — which is located inside the high-performing Shuang Wen School on Cherry Street — found their pencil holders tipped over and their documents scattered all over the office, said Fu Mei Cheung, program director at the Shuang Wen Academy Network.
''We went through all of our materials and there was no missing files or documents, but it was definitely a shock to us," Cheung said about Wednesday's ransacking. "There was paper all over the floor.''
The break-in was just the latest unusual event in a turbulent year at the elite Shuang Wen School, which has gone through a series of leadership changes while the Department of Education investigates its admissions practices and finances.
The DOE is also probing the role of the Shuang Wen Academy Network, which runs the school's Mandarin after-school program and controversially started charging children $1,000 to attend after losing city funding.
At the time of this week's break-in, Shuang Wen Academy Network's office was not locked, but the overall school building was closed, Cheung said. A janitor working at the school Tuesday night did not notice anything suspicious, and there was no sign of forced entry at the school, Cheung said.
Cheung did not know who would have wanted to ransack SWAN's office, but she said it appeared to be someone who was familiar with the space and wanted to target the Shuang Wen Academy Network in particular. A nurse's office just beside the nonprofit's office was untouched, Cheung said.
''We're operating in a [Department of Education] facility," Cheung said. "At this point, I would say the person has an idea of how the building operates. I can't say who.''
A Department of Education spokeswoman confirmed the break-in, but did not immediately comment further.
Cheung reported the break-in to the NYPD after discovering it about 10 a.m. Wednesday, and she said the police are treating it as a trespassing case because nothing was taken. Police advised the school to tighten its security, Cheung said.
An NYPD spokesman could not confirm the incident.
Cheung said she is trying to think positively and not dwell on the break-in, but it's difficult.
''We're just very fortunate that there're no missing files or documents," Cheung said, "but it's hard to stomach.''
With reporting by Trevor Kapp and Patrick Hedlund.
