Three Lawrence teenagers Thursday were suspended from school for 10 days after their arrest for allegedly breaking in and vandalizing two schools in the district.

The boys have been linked to rampages in the past week at South Junior High School and Prairie Park School, Lawrence Police said, but not to a similar incident at East Heights School.

About $12,000 in damage was caused to equipment and facilities at the three schools, district officials say.

“It makes me angry,” Supt. Randy Weseman said. “There’s no explanation.”

Two of the alleged vandals are enrolled at South and the other at Lawrence High School. One is 15 years old. The other two are 14.

Weseman said the students could face long-term suspensions, but he would prefer they return to school after their 10-day suspensions and volunteer to pay restitution to the district.

“That’s what I think is appropriate,” he said. “A: You get to stay in school. B: You get to work off more than $10,000.”

Lawrence Police arrested the teens after receiving numerous calls on the Crime Stoppers hot line, said Sgt. Mike Pattrick, a police spokesman.

Pattrick said he wouldn’t divulge detailed information about the tips nor would he say where police arrested the boys Wednesday. He declined to discuss possible motives for the crimes.

“I can’t comment on what they would have told us in any of the interviews,” he said.

Last weekend, there were break-ins at Prairie Park, 2711 Kensington Road, and South, 2734 La.

A library window at Prairie Park was shattered and about $7,000 worth of computer monitors, computers, keyboards and printers were damaged. A portable stereo was taken, school officials said.

School officials said a portable classroom at South was entered through a broken window. About $1,250 in electronic equipment was damaged at the junior high. A portable stereo was taken from South, as well.

That was followed Monday night by an incident at East Heights, 1430 Haskell Ave., in which computer gear and a television valued at $1,145 were destroyed.

District officials estimated the total damage was about $12,000.

Police expect to recover most of the missing property, Pattrick said.

He also said investigators thought the three were responsible for two other crimes that happened late Saturday or early Sunday: vandalism to a car in the 2000 block of East 26th Street that caused $1,000 damage, and an auto burglary in the 2000 block of East 30th Street in which a garage-door opener was stolen.

Rick Gammill, the school district’s director of special operations, transportation and safety, said Lawrence Police were conducting an audit of school facilities.

The objective is to determine how to improve security in the buildings, he said.

“One goal is to put in more surveillance cameras and alarms,” Gammill said.