“We take any threat against the school’s students or staff very seriously, and in light of Monday’s incident, we wanted to take every precaution to ensure the safety of students and staff,” wrote Karen Hume, the school’s principal. school. letter to parents and guardians.
He said the order, which was made “out of an abundance of caution,” went into effect around 1:20 p.m. and included locking the exterior doors and keeping students and staff indoors. It was lifted about three hours later after Toronto police gave the all clear. Students were dismissed at approximately 4:15 p.m
Toronto police have been at Scarborough High School since Monday after a 17-year-old student was stabbed inside the building. Officers were present during Thursday’s detention and they were safe, Hume noted.
“I want to thank the police for their continued assistance and the staff for their support with today’s containment and security. I would also like to thank the students for their cooperation and understanding today,” he wrote. “This has been a difficult week for the Birchmount Park CI community, but please know that we are taking every measure possible to keep members and staff safe.”
Toronto police told CP24 they did not post about the situation on social media as there was no current threat to public safety.
The hold-up and security at Birchmount Collegiate comes just weeks after an 18-year-old was fatally shot outside Woburn Collegiate, near Markham and Ellesmere roads.
Toronto Mayor John Tory has since called for a meeting with the Toronto school board and police to discuss ways to address school violence in the city.
