The person responsible for an inked bomb threat that resulted in the evacuation of students from the J.L. Jackson campus of Salmon Arm Secondary on Feb. 11 has been identified and officials believe there is no further safety threat.
In a letter to parents and students Wednesday, Glenn Borthistle, Superintendent of Schools, said the person came forward of their own accord and talked to school district officials and the RCMP.
“The RCMP and the school district are working together to bring the incident to resolution. Further details can not be released to protect the youth’s privacy,” said Borthistle, who added all threats to schools or students are taken seriously and investigated thoroughly.
“Based on recent evidence, it is believed this situation now presents no risk to student safety,” he said.
Students at Salmon Arm Secondary’s Jackson campus were evacuated at approximately 2 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 11, after an anonymous bomb threat was made against the school.
After assessing the situation, the school district made a decision to cancel the remainder of afternoon classes at Jackson and walk the students to the Sullivan Campus to catch buses from there.
RCMP report an inked graffiti bomb threat, which included homophobic slurs, was noticed in the tunnel under the highway leading to the Jackson campus. The message, complete with expletives, was noticed earlier in the day but was not brought to the attention of school administration until later that afternoon.
Police spent that night thoroughly searching the school and found nothing threatening in nature after a bomb threat was written in a pedestrian tunnel near the school. An RCMP explosives-sniffing dog was brought up from Kelowna and inspected both the interior and exterior of the property.
Staff Sgt. Kevin Keane of the Salmon Arm detachment previously congratulated the school staff for, “their measured and professional handling of the situation.”
Borthistle also thanked students, staff and parents for their co-operation and patience during the situation.
It is not known whether criminal charges will be laid. If the perpetrator is under the age of 18, their identity can not be published.