ENCINITAS (AP) — Thieves have broken into two Southern California schools and escaped with $12,000 worth of iPads.

San Diego County sheriff’s investigators say a burglar alarm sounded early Monday at Ada Harris Elementary School in Encinitas and deputies discovered the break-in. A dozen iPads were taken.

Early Sunday, there was a similar burglary at Cardiff Elementary School a few miles away in Cardiff by the Sea.

Investigators tell City News Service that the thieves broke classroom windows and broke off a lock on a cabinet to get to 12 iPads.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)