Charles P. Allen High School in Bedford, Nova Scotia is NOT in the news again. And that’s a shameful disservice to the staff, students and parents of not only the school, but those of the entire province.
The details are only now emerging although the events are a month old. Here’s what we know happened:
On the morning of September 26th, 2023, students at CP Allen were informed via a public address (PA)system announcement that there was a “lockdown drill” in effect at the school. Shortly thereafter, Halifax Regional Police brandishing body armour and semi-automatic long rifles entered the school. Staff inside the classrooms rightfully told students it was NOT a drill. After roughly 30 minutes, students were then informed over the PA system that the “hold and secure” had ended.
Parents were informed of a “hold and secure” at the school at 11:06 AM by way of the following e-mail:
Dear CPA Families.
This morning our school was placed on a brief hold and secure. Police were on site to investigate a report they’d received through Crime Stoppers. The issue was quickly resolved and the hold and secure was lifted. Throughout, all students were safe and our building remained secure.
The safety of our students and staff is our highest priority. All potential threats are taken seriously and addressed by administration and police partners.
There was no public notification via social media channels by the Halifax Regional Centre for Education (HRCE), Charles P. Allen High School or Halifax Regional Police. What was the nature of the threat? Were there any arrests or weapons confiscated? The latter is due to multiple unconfirmed reports from students alleged that police had retrieved some kind of weapon from a student’s backpack while in class.
Halifax Regional Police responded to our inquiry: “On September 26 we received a report of threats in relation to C.P Allen High School in Bedford. Officers responded to the school and were able to determine that there was no threat to public safety. The investigation has been closed at this time with no charges.”
As this didn’t really answer our questions, we reiterated our question about the nature of the threat, if weapons were confiscated or arrests were made.
Halifax Regional Police Responded: “…through the course of the investigation it was found that there was no threat made and there were no weapons involved. There were no arrests made and investigation has been closed at this time with no charges.”
The Lack of Openness and Transparency in Public Education
When a Hold and Secure is initiated by a school, there’s often a public announcement by the Regional Centre for Education and/or the school itself. This did not occur. For instance, on January 5th, 2023 Halifax Regional Police posted an update via X (formerly Twitter) regarding a robbery involving a suspect with a firearm in Dartmouth.
During that time, Halifax Regional Centre for Education posted updates about a Hold and Secure at nearby Harbour View Elementary. The difference? Halifax Regional Police actually provided details.
Why weren’t the events of September 26th broadcast by HRCE, Charles P. Allen and Halifax Regional Police? The latter is more understandable. They don’t broadcast details about every call, even ones where at least four police vehicles arrive as occurred at Charles P. Allen on September 26th. However, the Regional Centre and the school should have posted on social media channels. So why didn’t they?
Parental concerns of Charles P. Allen High School should not be dismissed.
When police officers enter any school with semiautomatic long guns, parents of students in the school’s care have every right to know exactly why. They have every right to have their questions answered. The public should also be made aware. This is especially true for what happens at Charles P. Allen High School, where two staff members were stabbed by a student only seven months ago. At the time, the lack of transparency by Halifax Regional Centre for Education and the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development was baffling.
The lack of leadership from the provincial government was evident. In fact, we heard from some teachers at Charles P. Allen High School who alleged that nobody from the provincial government or the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (including the Premier and Minister of Education) had even bothered to drop by and say hello.
For students that have been traumatized by the stabbings back in March, just imagine what the sight of police entering the school with weapons drawn on September 26th must have felt like. Imagine how parents must have felt, receiving texts from their children alerting them to what was announced as a “lockdown drill”, while police are entering the building prepared for the worst.
Lockdown vs Hold and Secure
Another concern during the events of September 26th is the fact that students reported being alerted of a “lockdown drill” via the PA system. This school had a scheduled lockdown drill the week before on the 22nd. Staff inside classrooms were correctly telling students it wasn’t a drill, rightly contradicting what was conveyed over the PA system. After it was over, students were alerted a “hold and secure” had ended.
So, which was it? And yes, it matters from a safety and clarity perspective.
Lockdowns aren’t ended by PA announcement. They’re ended by way of staff with police releasing students, class by class. If it was announced as a lockdown, yet all students were made aware that a hold and secure was ended it causes a lot of confusion.
Was this an honest mistake? It doesn’t matter. The standard operating procedure at Charles P. Allen High School was not followed. Given what happened this past Spring, and the fact that multiple police officers were in the building to investigate some kind of supposed threat, there’s absolutely no excuse
for miscommunication to students and procedural failures.
Students and parents must be put into a position to trust our public institutions. After the events of September 26th, when their parents’ questions haven’t been answered and many students feel like they’ve been lied to by Charles P. Allen administration, or the truth was bent, or maybe whoever made the “lockdown drill” announcement was just trying to protect the students…anything other than full, immediate and most importantly public transparency will not instill trust.
Nova Scotia Parents for Public Education 