13-year-old arrested for calling in bomb threat at Hamilton school, police say

A 13-year-old has been arrested for calling ina bomb threat toMount Albion Elementary School in Stoney Creek, Hamilton police said Tuesday afternoon.

In a news release, police said they were able to trace a call from the school "to a local address, where a youth admitted making the threat."

There have been 16 school threats in Hamilton since Thursday, police said. Some of those have been emailed threats, as confirmed by police last week and in notices sent to parents from local school boards.

Police said the service continued toinvestigate the threats.

English and French school boards impacted

Leanne Johnson, whoseson isin Grade 10 at Nora Frances Henderson Secondary School,said it has been "brutal" for so many threats to be received in recent days.

She had been keeping her son home recently due to unrelated bullying incidents but was hoping to send him back to school last week.

"That's when the bomb threat started coming in," she told CBC Hamilton Tuesday.

Sabreina Dahab, Ward 2 trustee for the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB), posted onX, formerly known as Twitter, thatHess Street and Central elementary schools were also evacuated Tuesday morning due to bomb threats.

"The police were on site. Both schools were cleared for re-entry and families have been notified," she wrote.

Dahabsaid the school board had shared "resources to support families and students as they navigate these really scary threats."

In an email to CBC Hamilton earlier on Tuesday, HWDSB said"the safety and well-being of our students and staff remains our top priority. We take every threat of violence against a school community seriously and have supports in place for student and staff well-being."

The public French school board said Monday that two of its schools were identified in an anonymous email that said bombs had been placed at several schools in the Hamilton area.

Pavillon de la jeunesse elementary school was evacuated until police gave the go-ahead to re-enter and police did a "complete inspection" of secondary school Georges-P.-Vanier but didn't find anything, the board said.

"The threats, real or fictitious, are not taken lightly and may lead to serious consequences for the people who utter them," Hugues Kamga Wambo, superintendence of education with Conseil Scolaire Viamonde, said in an email sent to parents.

Threats 1sttargeted Nora Frances Henderson high school

Several threats were emailed last week, prompting the evacuation ofNora Frances Henderson Secondary School on Thursday and Friday, police said previously.

The threat on Thursday referred to a teacher who began working at the high school in September. The teacher had previously worked at a Halton school and garnered international media for wearing what appeared to belarge prosthetic breasts.

Oakville Trafalgar High School receivedthreats resulting in police investigationsin late 2022.

The emailed threat on Friday was similar toone received on Thursday,Const.IndyBharaj said previously.

"It causes parents to really worry about their kids and puts them in a difficult position about whether or not to send them to school," Bharajsaid.

High-profile incidents can create 'contagion effect,' experts say

Johnsonsaid the people sending the threats need to "grow up.

"I think it's awful.I don't understand what is going on nowadays," she said.

Speaking to CBC Hamilton before police released information about the arrest, Johnsonsaid she wishesHWDSB and police were releasing more information to parents."It would be good to know if they have even caught who's doing it," she said.

Earlier this year, Niagara police chargedtwo 15-year-olds after a series of threats weremade to Fort Erie schools.

Each teenager was charged withthree counts of uttering threats, false messaging and public mischief.

In 2022, schools in nearby Hamilton faced at least 23 shooting or bombing threats, leading to several charges. Some of those charged were teens.

The threats occurred shortly after a mass shooting at a school in Uvalde, Texas. Experts told CBC Hamilton then such high-profile incidents can create a "contagion effect"that can triggerother similaracts.

In response to the 2022series of threats,Sgt. Jason Tadeson, youth services co-ordinator for Hamilton Police Services, said there wasno "cookie-cutter" explanation behindschoolthreats and each may havemultiple factors at play.