Police were called to a high school in the Ottawa Valley on Tuesday because of what the school board calls a “potential safety issue.”
OPP officials were at the Renfrew Collegiate Institute, a Renfrew County District School Board spokesman said Tuesday. The school remained open all day and classes continued as usual.
“As this is an ongoing investigation, the OPP has asked us not to disclose further information at this time,” the spokesman said in a statement. “The OPP is in school all day today and the school is still open to students and staff.”
“We look forward to providing an update to our parents / guardians and our school communities at the end of today as we receive further guidance from the OPP on this issue.”
A photo taken by CTV News Ottawa showed someone scribbling the words “Shoot on June 7” on a school wall.
The board posted a note on Facebook on Monday saying police would be at the school on Tuesday.
“Today we noticed that there was graffiti suggesting a possible security issue in our building,” the publication said. “We know this information has reached the community and is very upsetting to our students and families.
“Make sure we take this possible security issue very seriously and are fully investigating with the support of the OPP.”
The board pledged to keep parents and guardians up to date as more information became available.
Nicole Malcolm has two daughters who attend Renfrew Collegiate and says that while the school would not delve into safety concerns, others would.
“Mostly there were things written on the bathroom stops by both women and men,” says Malcolm, adding that he spoke to OPP agents, who assured him that the school was safe; however, few students attended class on Tuesday. “My only daughter, in 7th grade, has three classmates and the other is more or less the same … Today there is too much commotion, so I thought I could also take them home and let them do their work in Google Classroom.
“It’s very sad,” Malcolm says. “We’re seeing more and more of them, but the response from the police is amazing and they keep us safe.”