On the day threatening graffiti warned there would be violence at a downtown London high school, nearly half of the students opted to stay home.
The threat was found written in a girls washroom at Catholic Central High School on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning. Neither London District Catholic School Board officials nor London police have released specifically what the graffiti said other than that it threatened the safety of students and staff on Friday.
"Please know we take these threats very seriously and involve the police immediately. We also hope that if you are hearing anything from your child regarding this incident or any other that may compromise the safety of students and staff, please contact administration," Patrick Gilson, the school's principal said in a letter sent home to parents on Wednesday afternoon. "Moving forward, I am confident that we will have a day without any further interruptions and that students and staff will be safe in our building."
The school board confirmed Friday that roughly half of Central's students were marked absent for the day. However, the board does not track reasons for the absences unless there is an issue with a particular student. That means there is no way to know whether all the students who choose not to attend class on Friday were because of the threat or other reasons such as illness, vacation, or appointment.
There is an increased police presence at the Dundas Street school Friday. The board said that is to "ensure maximum safety."
"Safety is of paramount importance to all of us at Catholic Central High School and the London District Catholic School Board," said Gilson.
Police have been tight-lipped about the threat, stating only that the investigation is ongoing.
This is the second time since the start of the school year the Catholic school board has had to deal with a threat against its students. In mid-September, a bomb threat led to the one day closure of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Secondary School in London and St. Joseph’s Catholic High School in St. Thomas. A police search of both buildings turned up nothing suspicious.