Updated Feb. 16 at 3 p.m.
Luke Morris, the principal of Sudbury Christian Academy, said he couldn’t say much about the hold and secure situation at his school.
The lockdown has been cancelled and the school has notified parents that they can pick up their children.
Morris said the school was notified by police not long after the noon hour, but would not say what police said about the situation.
The principal added the students seemed unfazed and unfrightened by the action.
“We don’t tell the children whether it’s a drill or not, but the teachers are aware,” Morris said.
He said the school regularly practices hold and secure and lockdown drills for exactly this reason.
“We’re thankful for the quick and speedy work of the police,” Morris said.
Sudbury Christian Academy is a private school for students in JK to Gr. 8 located at 1101 Regent Street.
Sudbury Catholic District School Board communications officer Gina Tullio said a note was sent home with the St. James students, explaining what had happened.
She said some students were picked up early by their parents, but otherwise the children went home at the usual time.
Tullio did not have any information about what went on in the school during the hold and secure, but said school staff followed all protocols.
Updated Feb. 16 at 2:30 p.m.
Greater Sudbury Police have cancelled what they're calling a “hold and secure” they implemented at two local elementary schools early this afternoon.
The hold and secure was implemented at St. James Catholic Elementary School in Lively and the private Christian school Sudbury Christian Academy on Regent Street at 12:12 p.m. and cancelled at 1:55 p.m.
Police say they implemented the measure at the two schools because people associated with the shooting at the Sagamok First Nation in Massey today may have been associated with people at the school.
“It's since been cancelled as a result of new information,” said Staff Sgt. Marc Brunette of the Greater Sudbury Police. “We are satisfied that there are no persons associated with the schools at any risk.”
Brunette said a hold and secure is different from a lockdown, as the former is a precautionary measure, while the latter involves an active risk to a facility.
“So basically a hold and secure is when it's desirable to secure the school property in question because of an ongoing situation outside the school that is not related to the school in question,” he said.
“In these situations, a school functions normally, but we take precautions such as the exterior doors being locked and police presence until the situation outside is resolved.”
Update Feb. 16 at 1:30 p.m.
Sudbury Catholic District School Board communications officer Gina Tullio confirmed there's a lockdown at St. James Catholic Elementary School, but had no further information.
Greater Sudbury Police Staff Sgt. Marc Brunette said he was drafting a press release about the situation, but did not immediately elaborate on the situation.
According to NorthernLife.ca reporter Jonathan Migneault, who is on scene at St. James, two police cruisers are blocking the entrance to the school.
A parent told Migneault they were turned away from the school when bringing her children's lunch. She was not given any information about the reasons for the lockdown.
Original story:
Greater Sudbury Police are on the scene at St. James Catholic Elementary School in Lively at this hour for a possible lockdown or hold-and-secure action.
Few details are available, but NorthernLife.ca does have reporters on route to the school.
When reached by NorthernLife.ca, Staff Sgt. Marc Brunette said he was trying to determine if it was a lockdown situation or a hold-and-secure.
A hold and secure is a response to a threat and/or incident in the vicinity of a school, but not on or very near to school property. A lockdown is used for a serious emergency situation where a threat is inside a school, on or very near to school property.
NorthernLife.ca will update this story as more information becomes available.
