RCMP/school deal with perceived threat to J. L. Crowe
By Trail Champion
An implied threat on social media yesterday afternoon prompted police, parents and the staff at J.L. Crowe to respond.
Trail RCMP Sgt. Darren Oelke said they got a call at about 4 p.m. regarding potential threats.
“It was a photo on Instragram, of what turned out to be a tiny cap gun,” he said. The photo was captioned, “See you at school”.
Oelke said police went to the youth’s house and spoke to both him and his parents, and the situation is also being dealt with by the school.
No criminal charges are pending.
Superintendent of Schools Bill Ford addressed the issue in a letter sent to parents today, which reads as follows:
“It has come to our attention that there is concern in the community regarding the possibility of a student coming to school today with a weapon and the intent to do harm. Please note the following:
“The student posted a picture of a replica of a handgun on Instagram yesterday after school hours with a caption that was of concern. Many people contacted the school to let them know. The school activated processes to deal with the situation.
“• The RCMP were involved immediately, as were other agencies and local resources.
“•The RCMP have confirmed that the student does not have access to firearms. As well, a new rumour this morning, that there was a ‘hit list’ is not true, again confirmed by the RCMP.
“Unfortunately, social media, which is both a blessing and a curse, has taken a situation that was serious and turned it into something blown out of proportion. We take the safety of our students and staff very seriously, and do our utmost to ensure that safety on a daily basis.
“We never want to underreact to a serious situation, but we also don’t want to overreact.
‘We can’t predict what will occur tomorrow or next week or next year, but we can say that Crowe is as safe today as it was yesterday.
“Some families have decided not to send their child/ren to school today. That is, of course, your decision. It is our hope, though, that all students will return to school as soon as possible in order to finish the school year with courses complete and ready for next year.
“Sincerely,
“Bill Ford,
“Superintendent of Schools”
