UPDATE 3:00 PM: Linda Setlakwe, the Communications Advisor for the Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est (CECCE), responded to our request for comment by sharing a letter sent to families with Moose FM.
The letter, written in French, says a bomb threat was sent to a generic CECCE email address, as well as to several other boards across the province and some outside of Canada.
It says no schools or locations were targeted, and that the board decided not to close or evacuate schools after consulting with the Ottawa Police Service.
It concludes by saying police are continuing their investigation, and will provide updates to the board. It also says that the safety of students and staff is the CECCE’s top priority.
UPDATE 2:00 PM November 1st: Amber LaBerge, the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario’s Communications Lead (CDSBEO), provided us with the following statement:
“Earlier today, the CDSBEO learned of a threat against French Catholic school boards in the province. Out of an abundance of caution, and at the advice of OPP, CDSBEO placed schools in a hold and secure for a period of time. The hold and secure has now been lifted but extra vigilance is in place for the remainder of the day.”
Although there is no direct threat to schools in the Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) all external doors at schools are locked and students are being kept indoors for the rest of the day.
In an email sent to parents, staff members say police notified the board of “a potential threat against French Catholic Schools and English Catholic Schools in some areas of Ontario.”
According to the email, there’s no threat to any UCDSB schools, but safety measures are being taken out of an abundance of caution.
It also says staff are paying extra attention to anyone trying to enter schools, but that dismissals and pick-up routines will continue as normal.
We’ve reached out to the Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est (CECCE) and the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario (CDSBEO) to learn how this affects local Catholic schools.