Staff at a Yellowknife school only discovered a knife had been involved in a lockdown this week through media reports, the school district’s superintendent has told parents.
A student at Mildred Hall School was taken to Stanton Territorial Hospital to receive help after being detained by RCMP on Tuesday.
In a news release that afternoon, police said the 13-year-old had been uttering “a threat with a knife that was putting staff and students in danger.”
However, YK1 superintendent Shirley Zouboules said in a Thursday letter that the school and district first learned of a knife’s presence through news reports following the publication of that press release.
“As a result of reports in the local media, the school and district became aware that a knife had been surrendered to the attending RCMP officers,” Zouboules wrote.
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“In our commitment to ensure accuracy, the school district’s administration
immediately sought, and received, confirmation from the RCMP.”
The superintendent’s Thursday letter to parents updated an earlier letter sent on Tuesday, before the district became aware a weapon had been found.
Noting that the student had been safely escorted to hospital – no injuries were reported by police – Zouboules said incidents of this nature remain “rare.”
“Our schools are among the safest possible places for students and our staff and we take our commitment to safety seriously,” she wrote on Thursday.
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“Our school and district protocols are effective and work well to keep everyone safe. This was clearly demonstrated through the school’s response on Tuesday. We always seek to learn from experiences.
“Our goal is to continue our schools’ commitment to keep everyone safe in our buildings. This work is ongoing, with our recent experience further informing our safety planning.”
RCMP have been approached for comment.
