By Charlene Tebbutt

Police charge youth in school incident; say no threat to Carlton

Jan 7, 2019 | 4:07 PM

Police have arrested one young person in connection with a social media threat made to students and staff at a local school over the weekend.

The Prince Albert Police Service have charged the youth with uttering threats in relation to the incident, but now say the threat did not involve anyone at Carlton Comprehensive Public High School. The threat was reported to be directed at the high school, but police said in a media release late Monday afternoon that investigation determined there was “no information to suggest that Carlton was the intended target of the threat.”

Police said they have notified the school the young person attends, but would not identify the school. The Prince Albert Police Service said the investigation so far has determined that the youth acted alone and investigators believe there is no further threat to anyone’s safety.

The youth is expected to appear in court in Prince Albert Tuesday morning.

Staff at Carlton Comprehensive alerted parents to the threat Sunday evening by text and email. Classes were held Monday, the first day back after the Christmas holiday, and police were at the school throughout the day.

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Prince Albert Police Sgt. Jesse Barlow said that while police were investigating the threat, it was still deemed safe to continue classes.

“We didn’t feel that, us and the school division, didn’t feel the threat warranted any kind of school closure,” Barlow said. “As we are investigating it, we are protecting the staff and students, so we make sure that we have uniformed presence, heightened awareness, and all the while, we have other members that are doing some investigative work.”

News of the threat was shared widely across several social media platforms. While news of the incident can “spread like wildfire,” through social media, Barlow said it can also be a help when investigating these types of incidents.

“It also aids us in our investigation where we can actually have a hard-copy, kind of a trace of where this came from,” Barlow added.  

It wasn’t quite business as usual, but staff and students at Carlton continued on with classes as the new term got underway Monday. Robert Bratvold, director of education with Saskatchewan Rivers Public School Division, said there was a number of calls from parents, both regarding the nature of the threat and from some with information about the person behind the threat.

“It certainly exacerbates challenges, but it can also lead to better information sharing,” Bratvold added. “We prefer to contact parents directly knowing that they’ll share it with people in their friend groups as well.”

It’s safe to say that some parents kept their children home from school Monday, but Bratvold said staff members were available to help students deal with any concerns they might have. It’s also important for parents to talk to their kids about the incident, and let their school know if they are struggling with feelings of anxiety, he said.

“Parents can really help kids see the perspective of the threat and the reality and the potential for it, but also ways to manage the stress and anxiety,” Bratvold said. “Don’t hesitate to reach out to the school principal or vice-principal and have the conversation about what your concerns are.”

Charlene.tebbutt@jbpg.ca

On Twitter: @CharleneTebbutt