For the third day in a row and the fourth time in the last two weeks, schools in Coquitlam took safety precautions Friday morning.
A message posted on the School District 43 website says Centennial Secondary School was placed on “precautionary lockdown,” while Porter Street Elementary School, Vanier Centre and GOAL were placed on “hold and secure.”
“We emphasize this is a precautionary measure,” the notice reads. “We expect to have a further update for everyone shortly.”
The emergency protocols put in place Friday morning were lifted by early afternoon, according to the district.
In B.C. schools, “lockdown” typically refers to a precautionary measure used when a potential security threat is inside a school building. Normal school operations are stopped and students and teachers take safety precautions inside secure rooms.
Under a “hold and secure” protocol, school doors are closed and locked, but normal operations typically continue inside the school building.
Friday is the third straight day that either a lockdown or hold-and-secure—or both—has been put in place at Centennial. Other schools in the district have also been affected.
So far, all of the threats have been unfounded, and Coquitlam RCMP said in a news release Friday that “no corroborating information or evidence” had been found suggesting Friday’s incident was any different.
On Thursday, the detachment said all of the previous incidents—including one at Centennial last week—were related, and the threats that prompted police responses had all been received by phone.
Police have not shared any details about the content of the threats received, and said they “follow established protocols” that are “intentionally cautious” when threats to schools are made.
“We understand the frustration and concern that the public may feel in response to these incidents,” said Sgt. Adriana O’Malley in Friday’s release.
“However, we want to remind the public that these incidents are designed to create fear and gain publicity. Publicly circulating or amplifying unverified information can contribute to further disruptions.”
About two kilometres away from Centennial Secondary Friday, several police officers with long guns, as well as a canine unit, could be seen surrounding a house. It was not immediately clear whether the heavily armed police response was related to the school threats. CTV News has requested additional information from Coquitlam RCMP.
