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PEI

Englewood School lockdown worries parents

Two parents at Englewood School in Crapaud, P.E.I., are raising concerns that the school was not evacuated along with other schools across the province, but instead the school was put under lockdown.

'They made a decision that locking down was a better procedure': Public Schools Branch director

Parents at Englewood School are worried the school wasn't evacuated on Wednesday. (Google Maps)

Two parents at Englewood School in Crapaud, P.E.I., are raising concerns that the school was not evacuated along with other schools across the province, but instead the school was put under lockdown.

"Whenever my little girl got home, she said she was in her class all day and they had a lockdown," said Carinne McGeoghegan, whose six-year-old daughter attends Englewood. She said she heard from other parents whose children told herthe same thing.

Her daughter is fine and RCMP have deemed the threat "not credible" but McGeoghegan said it raises concerns had there actually been a bomb in the school.

"In the event that this was a serious threat that there was actually some kind of a device in that school I feel as a parent this was the worst case for how to deal with such an event," she said.

Another parent at Englewood messaged CBC P.E.I. on Facebook, also saying the school was put under lockdown procedure not evacuation.

'Their school was okay'

Parker Grimmer, director of P.E.I.'s Public Schools Branch, said no students were put at risk.

"At the time that Englewood was receiving our communication about evacuating schools, they had also just been received by law enforcement, who had done a sweep of the school and had given them assurances that their school was okay," he said.

"They made a decision that locking down was a better procedure and to wait for further information."

Grimmer said in hindsight school officials may have acted differently something that will be reviewed in the coming days.

"This was a stressful day and this is serious stuff," he said. "We're in the process of not only reflecting on how we did today but also the event itself."

With files from Laura Meader