durhamregion.com This Week | Thursday, June 9, 2022 | 8 A recent spate of school threats in Durham has parents and students asking questions about how these anxiety-provoking situations are handled and why more information isn't shared with the public. Recent incidents include "a threat posted on social media" involving Clarington Central Secondary School, which police reported May 26; a May 20 report of a rumoured threat at an unidentified Bowmanville high school; and a letter sent to families from several Oshawa high schools on April 12 advising of "possible threats to school safety." In each case, parents and students expressed frustration about the limited information shared by Durham Regional Police Service and local school boards -- many parents indicated they would keep their teens home from school. "This maddening lack of information is not a good look for the DRPS. Without some indication about the nature of the threat or the likelihood of something being carried out, this release is less than useless. As a parent, we cannot send our child to this school today," one parent tweeted in response to a Durham Regional Police Service tweet about the May 26 threat at Clarington Central Secondary School. "Without more information on the threat what choice do we have but keep them home? I'm not a parent willing to take a chance," and "I sure as hell hope the school and (police) plan to give parents a lot more information than this prior to us sending our kids there in the a.m.," other parents tweeted. Dozens of parents and students have also contacted durhamregion.com to share concerns about what they say is poor communication on school threat incidents. We reached out to DRPS and school boards in Durham to ask the two most common questions. WHY AREN'T MORE DETAILS SHARED WITH THE PUBLIC? School boards in Durham all said they follow direction from police when it comes to what details are shared with families. Police say there are several reasons specific details of school threats aren't made public -- including the need to protect the integrity of an investigation and requirements under the Youth Criminal Justice Act to protect the identity of offenders under age 18. "These are active investigations so we have to be careful what we release. What we need is essentially this trust from the community, to know that although they don't have the ins and outs of our investigation, that we are doing everything we can to protect them," said Sgt. Joanne Bortoluss, media relations officer for DRPS. "From a legal standpoint, we have to be careful. We want to make sure whoever does these things and creates this panic and this fear in the community, that they're held responsible. If we ... ruin that investigation, we're not giving the community the justice they deserve in these matters." In some cases, there isn't much information to provide, because no actual threat was made -- just rumours. "We try to provide clear information and updates as best we are able," said a statement from the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board, which includes public schools in Clarington. "These updates reference the source of the threat if we are able -- online for example -- and actions we are taking in response. In all school communications, we must also be conscious of the protection and privacy of individuals and students who may subject to an ongoing investigation." WHY ISN'T A SCHOOL CLOSED IF THERE IS A THREAT MADE? Police say closing schools is a possibility, but it's not the go-to response. "If there's enough information to close down a school, then that's what we would step in and recommend. But in these last couple of cases, it hasn't met that threshold," Bortoluss said, noting it could cause chaos if schools were closed for every rumoured threat. It is more common for schools to use measures like hold and secure or lockdown. School boards have administrative procedures in place that outline when these measures should be taken, as well as a procedure for bomb threats. Staff is trained in what to do when these measures are implemented and schools conduct drills. "If a threat is made or if there is concerning activity in the neighbourhood, often schools will go into a hold and secure or lockdown. The DDSB follows the guidance of the DRPS ... every situation is different, and the response depends on guidance received by police," noted a statement from the Durham District School Board. It's not unheard of for schools in the GTA to be closed due to threats -- the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board closed Westdale Secondary School in Hamilton on June 2 due to a "potential threat to school safety." WHAT POLICE AND SCHOOLS WANT PARENTS TO KNOW Police and school boards say a key message for the community is to get information from credible sources and avoid gossiping online and spreading misinformation. "The No. 1 thing I would say ... is to remind parents to be careful of the gossip. Because generally that's what it is. It's unconfirmed and unreliable information," said Bortoluss. Any information parents or students have about a possible threat should immediately be shared with police and school administration. "Many threats these days originate on social media and many parents now have direct communication with their children at school via cellphones, which means parents may come across information about a possible threat before school administration becomes aware of it," said Galen Eagle, communications manager for the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland Clarington Catholic District School Board. "During these situations, school communities often experience an influx of misinformation or rumours being shared on social media, which can make investigating and responding to threats more challenging for school administration and police." PARENTS SLAM 'MADDENING' LACK OF DETAILS ON SCHOOL THREATS JILLIAN FOLLERT jfoller t@durhamregion.com NEWS 'THE NO. 1 THING I WOULD SAY ... IS TO REMIND PARENTS TO BE CAREFUL OF THE GOSSIP' There was a "police presence" at a Clarington secondary school on May 27 after investigators learned of a threat posted on social media. Durham Police Facebook photo