A LAUNCESTON secondary school has been closed for the day following a reported ‘hoax security threat’.
Launceston College, part of the Athena Learning Trust, has announced to parents that its site, on Hurdon Road, will be closed for the duration of today (September 26).
In a letter to parents and carers, principal of the school, Mr Thompson said: “I am sorry to be in touch so early in the day, but this morning we have had to take the decision to close the school today for health and safety reasons.
“This is not a decision we have taken lightly, and we will always put the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff first, but we apologise for any inconvenience that this causes you as a family.”
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When contacted regarding the closure, it was revealed that it came following a hoax security threat, and police were required to carry out safety checks on site.
Mr Matthew Thompson, principal at Launceston College, said: “Closing the school is a decision that is never made lightly, and we fully recognise the impact on students and their families. However, late on Wednesday evening, we received what turned out to be a hoax security threat which we acted on immediately. Having liaised with the police, we took the precaution of closing as we could not guarantee the safety of our students until police checks had been carried out on site this morning.
“These have now been completed and police have confirmed that the site is secure and safe. Unfortunately, it was not possible for this to be completed ahead of the school day starting. However, I want to express my gratitude to the police for their swift response and support. I believe it is only right that we took this matter extremely seriously and we will be supporting the police with any further investigations into the background of the hoax threat.
“The safety and wellbeing of our students and staff will always be our top priority, and I hope the community will understand the decision we took. For today, students will be studying from home on a virtual timetable and we look forward to welcoming them back following the planned inset day tomorrow. The open evening tonight (September 26) will still go ahead from 5pm.”