A bomb threat forced the closure of Oakridge Secondary School in London’s west end Wednesday and led to the cancellation of a major high school volleyball tournament scheduled to be hosted at the school. The London Police Service was called to the school early Wednesday morning after reports of an email regarding a bomb threat. Officers blocked off the building while they searched the property. Const. Gavin Dell says the closure was necessary to allow officers to conduct a thorough search. “To ensure public safety, the school was closed today to allow officers on ground to search the outside of the school, as well as the inside,” Dell said. The Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) notified families and staff that the school would be closed out of an abundance of caution after receiving what it described as a concerning message. The board says student and staff safety remains its top priority. Bill Tucker, TVDSB director of education, says the board is working closely with police before reopening the building. “We’re not going to do anything that’s going to jeopardize safety of staff or students. We are going to work closely with the police services and, when they have secured their perspectives in terms of the building being safe, the school will open, staff will be on site [and] will have counselling for kids if they ever need it,” Tucker said. Staff who had already arrived at the school were evacuated. The closure also forced the postponement of the senior girls’ volleyball tournament organized by the Western Ontario Secondary Schools Athletic Association. Oakridge was set to host the event. “It’s a shame that we’ve had to reschedule the volleyball game today, and we’re sorry about that. But whenever we do schedule events like that, there’s always a backup plan. You never know what’s going to happen to a building if there’s a flood or storm or whatever. So, it has been rescheduled to Monday at Saint Thomas Aquinas,” Tucker said. Police say nothing suspicious was found inside the school. The investigation into the source of the threat remains ongoing.
