Police called to St. Mary’s High School due to online threat: WRPS

The Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) said they were on scene at St. Mary’s High School in Kitchener after an online threat on Wednesday morning.

At around 10:20 a.m. police said they were on scene.

“Investigators are working to determine the viability of the threat,” Const. Andre Johnson with WRPS said in an email at the time.

Students at the school told CTV News they were evacuated for about 25 minutes. Students said they heard nothing was found and everyone was safe.

WCDSB RESPONDS

Just before noon on Wednesday, the Waterloo Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) released more information on the incident.

The school board said they became aware of a social media message claiming a bomb had been “found” at the school.

“The message claimed to be satire and was false,” the WCDSB said in an email to CTV News.

The school board said WRPS were consulted and while the social media message that was posted was false, the school said they used the incident as an opportunity to practice their bomb threat protocols.

“The safety, security and wellbeing of students, staff and visitors is always WCDSB’s top priority, and all threats – however framed – are taken very seriously,” the statement read.

The school board said it is important for the community to understand that making a threat of violence against a school, regardless of the content, is “not funny or clever. It is dangerous and is also a very serious crime.”

The school board is asking anyone with information regarding who may have posted the social media message to contact the school immediately.