Skip to content

Alberta school officials say online accusations need to stop

Since Monday, at least four instances of online threats directed to Lakeland-area schools have been investigated by the police.

In the wake of recent online threats toward Lakeland-area schools, a lot of misinformation and misplaced accusations are continuing to circulate.

Local school division representatives would like that to stop.

Since Monday, at least four instances of online threats directed to area schools have been investigated by the police. RCMP and Edmonton Police Services say the files are all un-related and several people have been questioned and arrested for mischief-related offences.

Although police say there are currently no more threats to student safety at local schools, some people are still facing threats in relation to the incidents, say Northern Lights School Division officials

In recent days, the online sites used to send the school threats are now some of the same places where accusations and names are being spread. In several instances reported to school officials, people are being singled out and accused of being part of the threats. The accusations are causing safety issues for individuals being singled out, says NLPS spokesperson Nicole Garner.

"What we are running into now are rumours spreading, linking particular individuals to different things, or accusing particular people for being responsible for things that are seen on line, who aren't responsible for it," she says. "It has not been accurate, and now it is causing some concerns for the safety of those individuals."

Rather than engage in online discussions, Garner encourages residents who see troubling or concerning messages relating to school threats to contact the RCMP.


Rob McKinley

About the Author: Rob McKinley

Rob has been in the media, marketing and promotion business for 30 years, working in the public sector, as well as media outlets in major metropolitan markets, smaller rural communities and Indigenous-focused settings.
Read more



Comments

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks