Unfounded threats to Halifax-area schools causing 'fear, anxiety,' director says

Police say they have responded to seven false threats at Halifax-area schools since early April, and the head of Nova Scotia's largest school district says the disruptive incidents have needlessly caused fear, anxiety and worry.

RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Guillaume Tremblay said an integrated unit involving Mounties and Halifax Regional Police are investigating the incidents, which so far have all been unfounded.

He said the investigations require a lot of resources, which diverts police from other matters.

That's a big issue, said Halifax police spokesperson Const. John MacLeod.

"If someone else was calling 911 or needs policing resources and they're not available because they're currently being utilized somewhere else, that's problematic," he said, adding that in the case of bomb threats, an explosive disposal unit is often called in to conduct a threat assessment.

Threats written on walls, paper

CBC News requested an interview with Halifax Regional Centre for Education regional executive director Steve Gallagher on Wednesday but it was declined.

In a message to the school community on Tuesday evening, Gallagher said the incidents have interrupted the learning of thousands of students.

"While all threats are taken seriously, these recent instances have been unfounded and incredibly disruptive," he wrote. "Some have been handwritten in bathroom stalls, others have been anonymous calls."

The HRCE said Millwood High School, Park West School and Halifax West High were all dismissed early on Tuesday due to threats written on paper or in bathroom stalls.

"When it is not possible to ensure safety, out of an abundance of caution and to allow police to investigate, schools are closed," HRCE spokesperson Lindsey Bunin said in a statement.

Nova Scotia Education Minister Becky Druhan speaks to reporters at Province House. (Jeorge Sadi/CBC)

On Wednesday, Education Minister Becky Druhan said these sorts of threats are "always very scary and disturbing for families" but safety is a top priority for the regional centres.

She said her department has been working with the Nova Scotia Teachers Union and Public School Administrators Association of Nova Scotia to make improvements around school safety.

Druhan conceded "there's always room for improvement" when it comes to how the regional centres have been communicating information about the threats to schools.

"I'll just say generally, it's difficult to stay in front of communication in this day and age when there's instant communication," Druhan said following a news conference announcing the opening of a new daycare in Hammonds Plains, N.S.

"When you have an official and a capacity, you need to be very responsible, to be accurate, and sometimes it's difficult to compete in speed when you have instant communication on the ground."

Nova Scotia's auditor general is expected to release a report on preventing and addressing violence in the public school system in June.

False threats a criminal offence

Gallagher assured families that threats are always taken seriously and handled with care. He said school leaders conduct risk assessments and work closely with police to determine next steps. Each situation is reviewed individually, he added.

"These threats have a negative impact on student learning, family routines and productive workplaces," he wrote. "They create fear, anxiety, and worry."

Gallagher is asking parents and guardians to speak with their kids about the seriousness of making false threats. Staff were also planning to discuss the issue with students in school on Wednesday.

Tremblay said someone who makes a false threat could be charged with public mischief.

"So individuals have to be very careful because if you are making false claims and with intent, then you're committing criminal offence," he said.

MacLeod noted there have been "clusters" of threats against schools in the past.

On Monday, students at École Secondaire du Sommet in Halifax had to be relocated because of a threat. A spokesperson for Conseil scolaire acadien provincial, the Francophone school board, told CBC News the disruption was the first of its kind for the school year.

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