An Orillia woman has been charged with uttering threats and public mischief in relation to an incident at Orillia Secondary School (OSS) on Friday at around the lunch hour.
Just before 11:30 a.m. this morning, OSS officials alerted police after receiving a threat from an anonymous phone number. Orillia OPP officers and the emergency response team responded to the high school to take measures to "protect students and staff from any potential threat," noted a media release.
"Police and administrative staff worked together to address the threat," said Orillia OPP Const. Jonathan Barrett in the press release. "Staff and students inside the school were relocated to a central area and students outside the building were asked to remain there."
A search of the school was conducted by police who determined there was no threat. Shortly after, staff and students were allowed back in the school.
Grade 12 student Oliver Cooper says he was eating his lunch inside the school at the time of the incident.
"An announcement came on that said all staff and students to the library or cafeteria," he explained. "It said that three times."
When Cooper made his way to the cafeteria, he saw five police cruisers parked out front of the school.
"We were kept in the cafeteria for about 30 minutes," he said. "I saw on Facebook that there was a parent who called the police and said they were going to blow up the school or something like that."
Cooper says he was "a bit nervous" while police made their rounds through the school.
"All I know is I saw a bunch of police cars, so I didn't really know what was going on," he said. "The teachers were chill which kept everyone from feeling scared."
An OPP investigation revealed the identity and location of the suspect who allegedly made the threat.
The suspect was arrested without incident and was brought into police custody to face charges. The 54-year-old woman was released from custody and is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Orillia a later date in March 2024. The police did not provide the woman's identity.
School board officials did not respond to a request for a comment for this story.
