Amid reports of hundreds of parents keeping their kids away from McMath secondary, Richmond RCMP have issued a statement in a bid to alleviate their safety concerns.
And the Richmond News has learned that a second youth, who is now being questioned by police, has taken responsibility for Tuesday's drama, which involved threats of a mass shooting, targeting the Steveston school's LGBTQ and Jewish communities.
The News understands that between 200 and 300 students failed to show up for school Wednesday and Thursday after Tuesday’s incident, which led to a heavy police presence and the school being placed in a five-hour, “hold and secure” protocol, whereby students and teachers were barred from leaving their classrooms and no one, other than police, was allowed inside the school.
Tuesday's "hold and secure" move was made by the school district, after a threat of a mass shooting was posted on social media at some point on Monday.
That, the News believes, was followed by a more specific, but anonymous, threat that became apparent on Tuesday, directed towards LGBTQ and Jewish students.
The drama ended peacefully at around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, with a male youth being arrested.
However, late on Thursday afternoon, the News was told that a second youth was now being questioned by police and that he has taken responsibility for the incident.
And after being made aware of a flood of students failing to show for school and monitoring a myriad of misinformation on social media, Richmond RCMP wanted to let people know that it’s safe to return to McMath.
"We realize, and are sensitive to, the fact that much misinformation has been circulating,” said Richmond RCMP’s Cpl. Dennis Hwang.
“It is important to understand that information posted on social media is not always reflective of all the facts and can be very misleading at times.
“The police have a number of resources that are not available to the public to assist us in our investigation.
“We have identified an additional (second) youth who has taken responsibility for his role in this matter.
“He is cooperating with police but cannot be identified due to his age.
“We continue to be engaged with community stakeholders and are thankful for their support.
“Our investigators are confident that the school is safe. Speaking as a father, I would not hesitate in allowing my children to attend McMath."
The News reported earlier in the week how there were seven police cars, four on the school grounds, at about 11 a.m. on Tuesday.
One parent told the News outside the school that the situation was a "code yellow."
While initially described by the News as a "lockdown," school district spokesperson David Sadler said the event is defined under district protocol as a “hold and secure” situation, whereby there is no “imminent threat,” as opposed to a “lockdown” situation whereby there is an imminent threat within the school.
Sadler said under “hold and secure,” students and teachers were nevertheless barred from leaving their classrooms and no one other than police was allowed inside the school.
In a “lockdown” procedure, it is necessary to quickly secure everyone inside a locked room, whereas with a “hold and secure” situation there is no deemed need to lock doors, according to the district.
Sadler said the district was made aware of the threat after classes commenced.
