Police charge 2 teens in Halifax high school bomb threat case

Two teens are facing mischief and threats charges related to a bomb threat this week at a Halifax high school, the latest in a rash of such incidents that have plagued schools in the region for more than a month.

Halifax Regional Police said Friday that since April 1, there have been 25 incidents where messages about explosive devices have been left in schools in the Halifax region. 

The two teens, a 15-year-old and a 16-year-old, are being charged following an incident Tuesday at J.L. Ilsley High School. They are due to appear in Halifax youth court at a future date.

The school’s principal said in an email to parents that the threat was written in a washroom. Police were called, the school was evacuated, but the threat was “unfounded.” 

The Halifax Regional Centre for Education said last week that many recent bomb threats have been handwritten in school bathrooms, while others have been called in anonymously. 

The school district said each threat was taken seriously, and schools have been evacuated and closed while police investigate, but all cases were unfounded and “incredibly disruptive.”

Halifax police Const. John MacLeod said “clusters” of false bomb threats have happened before in Halifax. He said he didn’t know what is motivating the threats, but said young people are sharing information through social media.

He said when officers are called they check the schools, a “time-consuming” process that takes them away from other police work.