School threat deemed not credible
Online comment directed toward Leo Hayes High School was removed, principal reports
Leo Hayes High School was open as usual Tuesday, despite an online threat directed toward the northside facility the night before, says its principal.
In an email sent to parents and guardians of Leo Hayes students at about 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, principal Kendra Frizzell advised of “a situation” that unfolded online the night before with regard to the school.
“Last night [Monday], a threat was posted to a local Facebook page referencing Leo Hayes High School. The post was removed shortly after it went up,” she wrote.
“The Fredericton Police Force was notified immediately, investigated and quickly confirmed that it was not credible.”
Frizzell said that as a result, the high school will be open Tuesday and that classes will proceed normally.
“We will continue to remain in close contact with the police and will always prioritize the safety of our students and staff,” she wrote.
The Fredericton Police Force confirmed Tuesday afternoon it was apprised of the online threat at about 8 p.m. Monday.
“Police immediately began investigating and quickly determined that the threat was not credible and notified the Anglophone West School District,” police spokesperson Sonya Gilks wrote in an email to the Fredericton Independent.
The online threat came two weeks after bomb threats were made toward numerous schools in New Brunswick, mostly in the capital region.
Classes were cancelled the morning of Nov. 4 at Fredericton High School, Leo Hayes High School, George Street Middle School, Nashwaaksis Middle School and Barkers Point Elementary School in Fredericton, as well as at Assiniboine Avenue Elementary School in Oromocto and Arnold H. MacLeod School in Moncton.
The facilities were also evacuated as police checked searched them, only to clear them as safe.
Fredericton police arrested one teenager in connection with those threats, and that suspect is expected to make an appearance in Fredericton youth court at a later date.
Don MacPherson can be contacted at ftonindependent@gmail.com.