UPDATE: Grande Prairie RCMP say they have identified the origin of the threats and have confirmed them to be false. It’s believed there is no risk to staff or students at this time.
Rumours of a school shooting threat in Grande Prairie quickly spread over multiple social media sites Wednesday, but the Grande Prairie Public School District says they were found not to be credible. Some of the posts being shared on Facebook and Snapchat mentioned threats to Crystal Park, Charles Spencer, and the Composite High School.
GPPSD Superintendent Sandy McDonald confirmed that a concern about a possible threat to the Comp was reported Wednesday afternoon.
“Thanks to thorough work by our school principal, with excellent support from the RCMP, the source of the rumour was identified and it was determined there is no truth to it,” he wrote on Facebook. “As rumours can, this one spread quickly. At no time were any other schools mentioned.”
A similar message was shared by Principal Dennis Vobeyda on the Composite High School’s Facebook page. The RCMP could not provide comment late Wednesday night.
Officers in Whitecourt will have a presence at École St. Joseph Thursday due to the nature of graffiti found on a washroom wall Wednesday. The campus will be treated as a closed campus, meaning students will not be allowed to leave unless it is for the rest of the day.
RCMP in Wood Buffalo dealt with a similar situation at Father Patrick Mercredi Community High School on March 26th. A threat against the school was found as graffiti in a washroom and the suspects have been suspended.