Education Authority defends itself from claim that Northern Ireland school principals have no guidance on bomb threats
The Education Authority has defended itself from claims that principals were left floundering after bomb threats were sent to 300 schools across Northern Ireland on Monday.
The email threat, which claimed that explosives were located in the school building, appears to have been sent to schools at 8:50am on Monday. But one principal said that they were left in the dark by the Education Authority (EA) on the matter and only heard it was a hoax on social media at 11:20am when clips of Education Minister Paul Givan speaking on the topic began circulating.
Emma Quinn, principal of Rathcoole Primary School, Newtownabbey said yesterday there was lack of guidance from authorities about dealing with bomb threats.
An email was sent to schools on the issue on Monday morning - but was then deleted, she added.
"I think perplexed or curious are just some of the very gentle words, that some principals may use at the moment," Ms Quinn told the Nolan Show.
"Certainly, yesterday the email came through to many schools and appeared to be deleted quite quickly with that though, a lot of EA lines were not open to seek advice.
"Colleagues then contacted then the police and were told a myriad of of information; some of suggested we go on searches; some of them suggested we follow evacuation procedures; some of them said they would get back with an update. And I think really that's our concern today."
She added: "I've never been trained in them, looking for explosive devices, nor would I have the experience to do that."
Her school has now adopted its own bomb response guidance while it waits for official guidance.
But they have no idea how to determine if a threat is a hoax, she said.
"We found that out on social media when [Minister] Paul Givan released it 11:20am - We didn't get that sent through to schools."
A spokesperson for the Education Authority responded that it was notified of the threat shortly after 9am on Monday and immediately activated its emergency response arrangements, with the first coordination meeting held at 9.30am.
"Between approximately 10.15am and 12.20pm, three updates were issued to all schools, reflecting the latest information available from the PSNI.
"These reinforced the need to follow PSNI advice and provided contact details for further support and clarification. EA staff across multiple services also responded to a high volume of enquiries from schools and other stakeholders, providing support and guidance.“
EA said that school leaders and Boards of Governors are required to have emergency procedures, supported by regional EA guidance and templates.
It is their responsibility to consider their individual circumstances, local information and risk assessments, alongside advice from the PSNI. This approach was reflected in the decision, by some schools, to close, it added.
EA said it did not send out communications to schools and then delete it, but that the original threat was subsequently removed from inboxes.
EA issued a school lockdown procedure to schools last year, it added.