Nanaimo District Secondary School has heightened security and an RCMP presence today after the discovery of a “unspecified” threat graffitied in the school.
Dale Burgos, Nanaimo school district spokesman, confirmed an unspecified threat was made with graffiti for Friday at NDSS and was found Thursday. More information about the threat is not available because the matter is under investigation by the RCMP.
Students and families were notified of a threat before school let out Thursday, activities were cancelled and RCMP, senior staff and school employees searched the building but found no credible threat, according to Burgos.
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The school is open today with heightened security. All doors are locked with one entry where bags are searched and police are present. The district has also hired private security.
The threat follows one at Cilaire earlier this week. Burgos said the NDSS threat is still under investigation but at this point there’s no connection.
This is considered by the school district to be the fifth threat of this significance this school year where the Nanaimo RCMP’s assistance is required.
Burgos said he doesn’t necessarily see it as a trend and while he won’t dismiss it’s something that happens a lot in the district, it’s something he is noticing happening across the country.
“Incidents like this will always be taken very seriously by the district and also by the RCMP,” Burgos said. “We appreciate the patience and understanding of the parents and the students during this time. I know that it can be sometimes troublesome to have to go through these steps but we have to make sure that safety and security of our students and our staff are the utmost priority.”
The Nanaimo RCMP could not be reached for comment.
