The Kawartha Lakes Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) recently responded to separate incidents of suspected threats at two high schools in the Kawartha Lakes.
The first incident happened at Fenelon Falls Secondary School at around 12:44 p.m. on Monday (April 14), when the Kawartha Lakes Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) was informed of a concerning message received by the high school.
As a precautionary measure, police placed the school in lockdown while they investigated the incident. A lockdown is initiated when there is a threatening incident or threat of school violence in relation to the school. During a lockdown, all classrooms are locked so that staff and students are safe in their location, and no one is allowed to enter or leave the school.
The lockdown remained in effect while officers conducted a comprehensive investigation at the school, and was lifted at 1:41 p.m. when police and school officials determined there was no threat to the safety of students, staff, or the school premises.
According to an email from Trillium Lakelands District School Board, the second incident happened at Lindsay Collegiate and Vocational Institute on Tuesday (April 15), when Kawartha Lakes OPP briefly placed a hold and secure on the school after they learned about a suspected threat.
Due to the proximity of Central Senior School, police also placed a hold and secure on the elementary school.
During a hold and secure, exterior doors are locked and classroom routines and lessons continue. Students are not permitted outside and cannot be signed out while a hold and secure is in place. Parents or guardians are not able to pick up their students during a hold and secure.
No details were released by the school board about when the school was placed in a hold and secure and for how long, only that it “was lifted quickly.”
Police have not released any information about the nature of either of the suspected threats at the schools or whether they were related.
