'Scary' day for P.E.I. students, parents after schools evacuated

It was a scary day for students and parents Wednesday as word spread of a possible bomb threat made againstseveral P.E.I. schools.

The threat turned out to be not credible, but it caused anxiety for many parents who had to scramble to connect with their children after schools were evacuated.

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"I was pretty anxious, pretty worked up," said Carla MacKinnon, who kept an ear on the radio for updates as she picked up her sons at the designated safe zones at Stone Park and Sherwood schools.

"But you know, we're a strong province, so we can get through anything."

MacKinnon's son Brandon, a Grade 8 student at Stone Park, said he was at his locker when the fire alarm went off.

Teachers didn't say what was going on, he said, but he knew it wasn't a routine drill when he saw kids being taken out of the school's daycare, as well.

He said he only realized it was a bomb threat when he saw it on Twitter about a half hour after he got to the safe zone.

"The thought of someone calling and saying there's a bomb, and like kids were just eating their snack and stuff, just at school, is just kind of scary to know that happened here," he said.

I think [an event like] this is new to us, so we're reacting in a new way to itParker Grimmer, director of P.E.I.'s Public Schools Branch,

Parker Grimmer, the director of P.E.I.'s Public Schools Branch, said schools "responded well" to the situation and will look back to see if anything can be done better should it happen again.

"I think [an event like] this is new to us, so we're reacting in a new way to it, but we have plans and procedures and I think we followed them," he said.

Counseling will be available at schools Thursday and next week for students who may be troubled by Wednesday's events, school officials said.

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