Glendale Secondary School in Hamilton, Ontario received two bomb threats less than a week apart, according to police.
The Hamilton Police Service (HPS) tweeted Monday at 9:22 a.m. that they were responding to a bomb threat and that the school had been evacuated.
.@HamiltonPolice are currently responding to a bomb threat to Glendale Public Secondary School @HWDSB. Community members will see a large police presence in the area. School has been evacuated at this time.
— Hamilton Police (@HamiltonPolice) March 27, 2023
Situation has been supported by @HamiltonPolice. Students and staff have returned to @Glendale_HWDSB. https://t.co/zBp9nZXs7i
— HWDSB (@HWDSB) March 27, 2023
Glendale Secondary School received a bomb threat Tuesday, March 21st at around 8:00 a.m., according to the Hamilton Spectator. In February, Glendale Secondary School was cleared because of a bomb threat on Monday, Feb. 27 shortly after 8:00 a.m., the outlet reported. (RELATED: Bomb Threat Called Into NYC Court Hosting Trump Trial)
“It’s nothing new to us and that’s kinda sad,” a student told CHCH News. “Like I had no reaction, I just went to the school because I know it’s like fake because like the same with the last one was fake,” another student told CHCH News.
“All three threats are similar in nature, with threats originating via email to a school staff member of the associated school,” the HPS told the Daily Caller. “This caused the school to initiate their bomb threat protocol. Police have attended and cleared the schools. All threats were unsubstantiated. Staff and students were then given access to the facilities and resume operations.”
“While we cannot place a dollar figure on the threats, we take these threats seriously and continue to investigate the origin,” the HPS added.
Making a bomb threat is a criminal offense with penalties ranging from a fine to imprisonment in Canada. The prevalence of bomb threat hoaxes is difficult to determine in Canada because Statistics Canada does not have a separate category for threats. Hoaxes are classified as mischief-type offenses.
Schools often receive bomb threats in the United States as well. In the same week that Glendale received its two bomb threats, South Carolina, Iowa, Florida and other states evacuated schools due to similar threats. Making a bomb threat is a federal offense in the US, punishable by a fine of up to $250,000 and up to 10 years in prison.