Eden High School students sent home after safety threat

Niagara Regional Police assured the community there was “no known ongoing threat to public safety” and no one was physically harmed after a St. Catharines high school was evacuated Monday while officers investigated a threat against the school.

One parent, however, described it as a terrifying and chaotic experience, as she waited for information from the school and police about the safety of her child.

District School Board of Niagara chief communications officer Kim Sweeney said police were contacted immediately after staff at Eden High School, received a threatening message Monday morning.

Sweeney said police “suggested the best course of action would be to dismiss staff and students for the remainder of the day” to enable officers to conduct an investigation and search of the building.

Meaghan Racine said she first learned something was happening at the school at 535 Lake St. when her daughter Meadow, a Grade 10 student, began texting her to say a lockdown had been initiated, and police and dogs were searching the school.

Racine called it “creepy” when the school does lockdown drills, but then when it actually happens “you have like 50 scenarios running through your head.”

“The first thing I thought of was school shooting — that’s the first thing that goes through a parent’s mind. So I rushed over there,” said Racine.

“It was just chaos of police and cars, parents picking up their kids. And then all the kids were told once the police came and escorted the class outside, that they all had to wait outside.”

While buses were called in to bring students home early, students who couldn’t get an immediate ride waited with staff at the Bill Burgoyne Memorial Arena a few blocks west while they made arrangements to be picked up.

The school was fully evacuated by 12:50 p.m., and no students remained at the arena at that time.

“Niagara Regional Police have concluded their investigation and determined there is no threat to the school, its students or staff,” an email from the school said.

“We will not be able to share any more information about this situation.”