Individual seen with pocketknife entered BCHS, school says no threats made

Bonnyville Centralized High School said an individual was spotted with a pocketknife and interacting with students Tuesday morning.

BCHS alerted parents of the incident that required RCMP attendance.

The admin team in the letter said around the time that students were arriving for the day, a trespasser entered the school through the hallway that connects the school to the C2.

As soon as it was identified that there was an unauthorized person in the school, school administration and C2 staff worked together to escort the trespasser from the school, the letter said.

Once removed from the school, the individual is said to have spoken to several students in the parking lot and at one point was reportedly seen holding a pocketknife.

At no time was the individual in physical contact with the students, nor did they threaten to harm students, the letter said.

“RCMP were contacted. They located the individual off-site, and then came back to the school to interview staff and students who had witnessed the incident. Parents of students who were interviewed were contacted by school administration,” the letter said.

“This was an unexpected and disturbing incident and has created anxiety and concern for many students and staff at the school. Our students have been provided with the opportunity to meet with our school counsellor if they need to and we encourage all families to follow up with their children at home. If you think your child may need someone to talk to or access to other mental health resources, please contact the school and we will make the appropriate arrangements.”

School staff will be reviewing its safety protocols as well as working with the C2 to determine what steps need to be taken to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.

Lakeland Connect has reached out to Bonnyville RCMP for comment.