Three Halifax schools dismiss students early on Tuesday following “unfounded” threats, while investigations into those responsible ongoing

Three Halifax schools dismiss students early on Tuesday following "unfounded" threats, while investigations into those responsible ongoing

Lauren Phillips, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Coast

Students at Halifax West High near Clayton Park as well as Millwood High in Middle Sackville have been dismissed early for two days in a row this week in response to written threats of potential explosive devices, which police and RCMP are investigating. As of Tuesday afternoon, these investigations are ongoing.

On Monday, officers were on scene at both schools to investigate separate potential threats that were written in school bathrooms. A third school, l’École secondaire du Sommet on Larry Uteck Boulevard, also reported a similar threat about a potential explosive device at the school on Monday and the school was evacuated while police did a sweep of the school and area to determine it was safe. That investigation is also ongoing.

On Tuesday, both Halifax West and Millwood, as well as a third school, Park West in Clayton Park, dismissed their students early in response to additional written threats of potential explosive devices reported to police. Tuesday’s round of reported potential threats are reported as messages written on paper or in bathroom stalls.

Police say it’s uncertain whether these incidents are related through either one individual or copy-cats, or whether they’re simply unrelated. So far, there’s no evidence to suggest one person is responsible, police told The Coast on Tuesday.

Further, police say they can’t speculate on the causes driving the frequency of the incidents.

As of Wednesday, all of the recent threats in schools have been deemed unfounded and all four schools are open as usual to students. In a letter to families on Tuesday Apr. 30, the HRCE regional director, Steve Gallagher, writes that “many bomb threats” have been directed at HRCE schools over April, with some “handwritten in bathroom stalls, [while] others have been anonymous calls.” Gallagher says that all threats are taken seriously and investigated individually, however these recent instances have been “unfounded and incredibly disruptive.” He encourages families to talk to your children about the seriousness of making false threats,” and says schools will be addressing this issue directly with students Wednesday.

The RCMP/HRP Integrated Criminal Investigation Division is leading the investigations into threats directed at all four schools. While police say they can’t discuss specifics of these investigations, HRP constable John MacLeod says, “as part of our normal practice our investigators will look at commonalities between incidents,” despite the fact that “there is no information at this time to suggest the incidents are directly related.” MacLeod said a person found responsible could face criminal charges for these type of incidents. RCMP corporal Guillaume Tremblay says “anyone who, with intent to mislead, causes police to enter on or continue an investigation by making a false statement is committing public mischief,” as officers are required to respond to every incident with the same manner and resources.

Communications officer with the Halifax Regional Centre for Education–HRCE–Lindsey Bunin said that “all potential threats are taken seriously and addressed by administration and police partners,” and that, “in addition to any police consequences, those who endanger the well-being of others, damage property or significantly disrupt the learning environment will receive immediate and appropriate consequences for their actions, as per the Provincial School Code of Conduct Policy.”

Appendix A in the code of conduct lists forms of unacceptable behaviour at schools, including “significant disruption to school operations” and “vandalism,” while Appendix B lists possible responses to those behaviors, which includes “involvement of outside agencies such as police, mental health services, and child welfare.”

Bunin said information is generally shared with families of children at schools involved first, before it’s made public. Halifax West has shared these announcements on social media following students’ families being informed, as recently as March of this year.

However, in 2021, Halifax West tweeted about a lockdown at the school while families and students were en route on the morning of Dec. 6. Parents told The Signal they received the news after their kids were already in school.

There is no publicly available data on how many reported bomb threats to Nova Scotia schools are investigated by police each year.

Data of this kind is typically found and released through Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy requests, or FOIPOPs, made to the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development–EECD.

For example, results of a FOIPOP into physically violent incidents–not potential bomb threats–from Sept. 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022 are published here. This two-page document indicates that 13,776 incidents of physical violence were reported for the 2021-22 school year.

There is no published data on reports of physical violence for the 2022-23 school year, however in April 2023, teachers in the province overwhelmingly reported feeling school violence was on the rise.

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