High school in New Liskeard closed following threat

Ontario Provincial Police said Friday they have arrested a suspect connected to online threats that closed Timiskaming District Secondary School in New Liskeard for two days this week. (File)

The District School Board Ontario North East confirms the Ontario Provincial Police are investigating a threat against one of its high schools in the Temiskaming Shores area.

Timiskaming District Secondary School in New Liskeard is closed Monday after a threat was made against the school for Jan. 9.

"The OPP have not been able to determine the credibility of the threat," the school said in a letter to families on Sunday.

"At District School Board Ontario North East the safety of our students and staff is always our top priority. (Sunday) evening, Timiskaming District Secondary School received a threat towards the safety of students and staff. Since the Ontario provincial police investigation remains ongoing, the decisions was made to close TDSS and move to remote learning for the day to ensure the safety of all students and staff. TDSS looks forward to welcoming students back in-person Jan. 10."

• Download our app to get alerts on your device
• Get the latest newsletters right in your inbox

Stephanie Shaw, a spokesperson for the school board, told CTV News in a phone interview no other schools are affected by the threat.

Citing the current police investigation, Shaw said she could not comment on the nature of the threat.

OPP Const. Chris Hawkins, of the Temiskaming detachment, told CTV News in an email, the investigation began at around 8:56 p.m. Jan. 8.

"At this time the investigation is on-going and more information will be released when it is available," Hawkins said.

Students in Grades 7-12 will have classes online Monday and in-person learning is expected to resume Tuesday.

"It will be a regularly scheduled day for students and staff with itinerants virtually supporting students at their scheduled time," the school said.

"We continue to work closely with the OPP. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work through this serious situation."