Kemptville, Ont. school to remain closed Wednesday following threat

St. Michael Catholic High School in Kemptville, Ont. (Dylan Dyson/CTV News Ottawa)

St. Michael Catholic High School in Kemptville, Ont. will be closed for a sixth time in two weeks on Wednesday, as police investigate a threat of violence towards the secondary school.

The school will be closed for a second day in a row after Ontario Provincial Police said there was "another anonymous threat of violence" directed towards the school on Tuesday.

"We cannot speculate on any connection to earlier threats, the OPP said on X.

"We completely understand that these incidents weigh heavily on students, parents, school staff, and everyone in the community. The OPP is continuing to investigate these incidents and is committed to locating those responsible and holding them accountable."

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In a letter to parents and guardians Tuesday morning, the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario said it was notified at 3 a.m. of a "anonymous threat directed to St. Michael Catholic High School."

The board says after consultation with police, the school is closed and all transportation has been cancelled.

The Catholic high school was closed Oct. 3, 4, 7 and 8 following anonymous threats directed towards the school.  The board said the school was closed on Oct. 7 and 8 because, "a full evaluation of threats to St. Michael CHS has not been completed in order to accurately assess the risk to public safety."

That same reason was given for the school remaining closed this Wednesday, the 16th.

Typically, the communication about the threats to the school has first been received by the police, who have subsequently notified the school board during the middle of the night.

"We have still not been given an assessment of the risk to public safety at St. Michael. This assessment is typically based on a set of criteria that determines the degree of risk as being either low, medium, or high," a note home to families said. "These ranges reflect a continuum of interventions, added measures, and vigilance, that can be applied to offset risk.

"Without meaningful risk assessment data, St. Michael will remain closed until we are given appropriate, criteria-based information by police."

All schools in Kemptville were closed on Oct. 3 due to the alleged threat targeting St. Michael Catholic High School.