A Sarnia, Ont., high school closed its doors to in-person learning for Thursday after a disturbing message was located on the property at the end of the day Wednesday.
On June 8, Sarnia police were called to Northern Collegiate Institute and Vocational School located at 940 Michigan Ave. in Sarnia.
Lambton Kent District School Board said in a news release that senior administrators, in consultation with local police, decided to move all students and staff to remote learning for June 9 while police investigate.
“The disturbing message was specific to Northern Collegiate Institute and Vocational School and there are no concerns for the safety of staff and students at other schools in the area,” Sarnia police said in a news release.
A sports banquet scheduled to take place at the school on Thursday has also been cancelled in response to the ongoing investigation.
“Student and staff safety are a top priority for the LKDSB and we work with local police to determine the appropriate actions to ensure school safety,” said John Howitt, director of the Lambton Kent District School Board.
This is the second incident involving concerning messages left on public high schools in a week in Lambton County.
On Monday, Lampton OPP arrested a 16-year-old Plympton-Wyoming resident in connection with another threatening message left on Lambton Central Collegiate in Petrolia on June 2, 2022.
The individual has been charged with mischief and uttering threats, the OPP said.
Following the recent arrest, the school board released a statement that “the LKDSB takes all alleged threats seriously and please be assured that student and staff safety will always be put first.”
No information or details have been provided on the message left at Northern Collegiate.
“We recognize that learning about this potential threat may have caused some uncertainty or a stressful experience for students, staff and families. LKDSB staff members are available to offer counselling supports for students, as needed,” the school board said.