A 14-year-old has been arrested and charged after a bomb threat prompted the closure of John F. Ross CVI in Guelph on Monday.
According to Guelph police, the threat was made via email and discovered by school administrators overnight. Authorities were alerted early in the morning, leading to an immediate response.
“On Monday morning, we received a call from an administrator at John F. Ross high school indicating that they had received a threatening email overnight,” said Scott Tracey, Media Relations Coordinator with the Guelph Police Service.
Out of caution, the school was closed for in-person learning.
“While this has not been confirmed as a credible threat, we have decided to move to remote learning for the day,” said Principal Chad Warren. “The safety and well-being of students remain our highest priority.”
Law enforcement, including the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) canine unit, conducted an extensive search of the school. No suspicious items or evidence of danger were found.
“At this point, we have no information to suggest there was ever any actual threat to the school or its occupants,” Tracey confirmed.
Later that afternoon, police arrested a 14-year-old suspect and charged them with public mischief and two counts of uttering threats. The teen has since been released with a future court date.
Authorities emphasized their commitment to addressing school-related threats seriously.
“Police take incidents like this extremely seriously and will continue working closely with school boards to identify individuals responsible and lay appropriate charges when necessary,” officials stated.
The investigation remains ongoing.
