Repeated school threats lead Windsor mother to keep her children at home

Repeated school threats lead Windsor mother to keep her children at home. Robert Lothian reports.

A Windsor mother no longer feels safe letting her children go to class after two threats were made at their school in less than a week.

Lacie Krzemien felt “hopeless” after learning of a hold-and-secure at Marlborough Public School, where her two children attend.

“If the police in the school said the threat has been taken care of as a parent, I’m going to feel confident in that, sent my kids back to school only for, you know, a few days later to receive another threat,” Krzemien explained.

Windsor police confirmed that they received an anonymous call claiming there was a risk inside Marlborough Public School on Tuesday. It followed a similar incident on Friday.

In a cautious approach, officers entered the school and cleared the building. A hold-and-secure was lifted after police determined there was no threat.

“When my son comes home and says they had guns in my school, that’s not something I think a ten-year-old should have to, you know, be privy to and not once, but twice without any transparency,” Krzemien told CTV News.

Frustrated by the lack of details released about both incidents, Krzemien plans to keep her kids out of school until more details are released.

She’s been asking police for more information on the types of threats, the timeline for the investigation and police procedures, but has not received many details.

“I know that my children know that I take their safety very seriously, and I won’t put them in any harm’s way,” she said.

“They are aware that they will be home until I am assured by the Windsor Police Department [that] whoever is responsible for threatening my children is being dealt with appropriately.”

In addition to their physical health, Krzemien is worried about the added strain that is being placed on the minds of her children and their classmates.

“They don’t feel safe, and as a parent, I’d like to say, okay, this is what happened. We know what the investigation is, and it’s being taken care of,” Krzemien added.

In a statement to CTV News, a spokesperson for the Windsor Police Service said both incidents were investigated promptly, and no credible threats were identified.

“The safety of students and staff remains our top priority,” the statement reads.

They noted it was too early in the “active investigation” to provide more details.

A spokesperson for the Greater Essex County District School Board noted “students were, and continue to be, safe to return to class and attend school,” adding they could not provide further details.

In both cases, Krzemien learned of the hold-and-secures through social media before information was released by the board and police.

In a social media era where rumours and theories of the threats can travel with ease, Krzemien feels more information from officials can help address some of the concerns.

“If they were just transparent and said, this is the exact threat that we got. We don’t think it’s viable. These are the steps that we took to ensure that it wasn’t, just to alleviate that concern as a parent would be all that I’m asking for, honestly, at this point,” she said.