The Principal at Chippewa Secondary School felt compelled to address the school community following a threat that was investigated by police on Wednesday night.
Krista Tucker Petrick, principal at Chippewa Secondary School, addressed students and families via a voicemail and email assuring students their school was safe.
In a message also shared to social media, Tucker Petrick explained how the situation unfolded.
"We would like to take this opportunity to assist you in the process of sharing information in events such as we had overnight and how we are moving forward as a school," she said.
"We understand in this age of instant communication it can be frustrating to not have all the details of the situations as they occur," she said in the email.
The North Bay Police told BayToday early Thursday morning that they received a report of a possible threat to a local school circulating through social media.
"Working with our policing partners, an investigation revealed that the information on social media originated from southern Ontario and was not in reference to any schools in North Bay," stated David Woolley, corporate communications officer with the North Bay Police Service.
See related: Scare at Chippewa Secondary School
Tucker Petrick says when there is an active investigation going on the school must be cautious about what is released.
"It is important to have community trust during this time to know that everything is being done to protect our students even though the details of the investigation cannot be shared," she explained.
"We must allow the police to do their job without interference so that they can conduct a thorough investigation. At other times, it may be that there simply is not much information to provide, particularly if the information is based on rumours.
"Some people may have questioned why the school remained open. Had the information been different, we were prepared to close the school. Police were confident in the information obtained and, in consultation with the Near North District School Board, determined that since in the end there never was a threat to Chippewa there was no need to close the school."
She says if students become aware of something concerning involving the school, the best manner of assisting is to call the police.
"What is not helpful is the spreading of rumours and misinformation," she stated. "This should be avoided wherever possible."
The principal adds staff in the building have been using this situation as a teachable opportunity to work with students on how to verify reliable sources.
"This is a chance to better understand how quickly something can be taken out of context, misrepresented, or twisted to cause fear and anxiety," she said.
"To assist, crisis workers are available at the school to support anyone who may be struggling because of this alleged threat. On Thursday we ensured that there were multiple members of our crisis team in the building. Ongoing support is also available through student services.
"We are grateful to North Bay Police Services for their quick actions and for working through this with us to achieve a positive result."