THUNDER BAY — The chair of the school council at Hammarskjold High School is expressing frustration over the absence of information about incidents that have disrupted classes on multiple occasions over the past two weeks.
Classes were cancelled by the Lakehead District Public School Board on Wednesday after an anonymous, unspecified threat that resulted in police being dispatched to the Clarkson Street school just after 7:30 a.m.
It was the second time in less than a week that the school was closed because of a threat.
In addition to the two incidents, Hammarskjold was put in lockdown twice on Feb. 13 after reports that someone may have brought a weapon to the building.
Another incident at the school, last October, resulted in a declaration of hold-and-secure.
Neither Thunder Bay Police nor school board officials have disclosed details about any of the incidents, a situation Cheri Lappage describes as "no longer good enough."
Lappage, the chair of the Hammarskjold school council, posted a social media message Wednesday morning saying parents and the public "deserve answers."
In an interview, she clarified that she is not concerned with how police and the board are handling the threats, but she is frustrated with the lack of clarity as to the nature of the threats.
"When you have a string of incidents like this with very little information, it's hard to have any surety as to whether these are serious incidents or whether they are benign threats," Lappage said.
Under the circumstances, she said, it's difficult for parents to feel comfortable about sending their children to school or assuring them that they are safe.
"All that we have been told is that there was a threat received, the police are responding, the school is closed, and more information will be provided. And then more information is never provided."
The "rumour mill," she said, has circulated talk about things like bomb threats and gun threats, but no officials have revealed the specifics of the threats or how much credibility police are giving them.
"This is where additional information would really help. Frame how serious this is, and how much level of concern we should be having. It's definitely a frustration to be having them out of school, week after week," Lappage said, noting that classes have also been cancelled this winter because of weather conditions.
She would also like to see more publicity about the potential ramifications for people making threats, and wants to hear assurances that those responsible for the recent incidents will be held accountable for their actions.
"If these are threats being made by kids or students, there should be very strong repercussions, and somebody needs to be made an example of."
Lappage worries that Hammarskjold's reputation as "a safe and amazing school" is suffering
"I've already seen things on social media, and people have said things to me like 'I don't know, I might take a second look at sending my child there.' "
She hopes the school board and police decide to "not be so vague" about what's going on, in order to help alleviate some of these concerns.
After Thunder Bay Police cleared the scene and officers left the high school just before noon, police issued a statement saying they will continue to try to identify any suspect.
Inspector Derek West later told reporters "Somebody out there knows who this person is. We encourage them to come forward to help us solve this."
West also said police are looking into any possible linkages between the recent incidents.
Investigators, he added, must be cautious about releasing information that could negatively impact the integrity of the investigation.
Lakehead Public Schools, in the meantime, replied to Lappage's tweet with a tweet of their own: "We are all extremely frustrated by this reoccurring issue. Everyone including staff from the school and the Board and the Police is working incredibly hard to rectify this. We take the safety of ALL students and staff seriously."
Late Wednesday afternoon, the board also posted a message on its website and on its Facebook page, explaining its handling of the threats and thanking families for their "patience and understanding."
