Advertisement

Police probing fake bomb threats that affected exams at several schools

Senior Superintendent Stephanie Lindsay, head of the JCF's Corporate Communications Unit and Hidran McKulsky, Principal of Holmwood Technical High School
By Nakinskie Robinson/Clinton McGregor    
 
The Police High Command has launched a search for the persons behind a series of fake bomb threats that caused major disruptions to the sitting of external examinations at several schools on Tuesday. 
 
Students sitting external exams at Kingston College and Campion College had to be relocated to other institutions across the Corporate Area following the bomb threats.
 
The fake bomb threat was issued at Kingston College in an email sometime on Monday night. 
 
The police say thorough assessments were carried out on the compounds of both schools Tuesday morning. 
 
The authorities say a response protocol will be developed along with the Ministry of Education, to deal with future occurrences.
 
Senior Superintendent Stephanie Lindsay, head of the Corporate Communications Unit, told Radio Jamaica News that the police are seeking to find those responsible for the threatening emails.
 
Pointing to a similar situation last year, in which a series of fake bomb threats were issued to schools, SSP Lindsay bemoaned that the perpetrators seem bent on creating havoc.   
 
SSP Lindsay added that the police have been in contact with the schools that received the emails and have reassured the institutions that they do not need to panic. 
 
Holmwood Technical High                            
 
The police also reported that a bomb threat at Holmwood Technical High School in Manchester, affected the sitting of external exams on Tuesday morning.
 
About 7:45, the school's administrators received an email outlining that there was a bomb planted on a section of the school compound.
 
The principal of the school, Hidran McKulsky, then made contact with the Manchester police.
 
The students, teachers and school administrators were removed from the main buildings and assembled unto the playfield.
 
Members of the Jamaica Defence Force and teams from the Health Ministry and the Jamaica Fire Brigade were later dispatched to the institution.
 
Principal McKulsky said at least two external examinations that were slated for Tuesday, were affected by the bomb scare. 
 
"It was close to the end of the one of the examinations; some persons had actually competed, other persons had probably another half an hour to go to complete the examination. Those persons were affected. The afternoon examinations, we were able to transport students to neighbouring schools and have them sit the exams there," he reported.    
 
He said the situation will be difficult to remedy while maintaining the integrity of the examinations. 
 
"We will have to first consult with the students to find out if they were affected and the extent, and if it is that persons are of the view that shutdown affected them then we’ll have to send a letter, of course, to CXC outlining the situation, because it’s kind of difficult for them to re-sit the paper or to continue with the paper because they were not held in a sterile area. So we will have to dialogue with CXC and ask that special consideration be extended during the process of marking or take into consideration their SBAs and their outstanding paper," the principal suggested.  
 
Mr. McKulsky said classes will resume and examinations will be held at the institution on Wednesday.
 


comments powered by Disqus
Most Popular