Parent Letter Regarding Today’s Evacuation and Early Dismissal

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As you may know, today was an unusual day at Westmount. We wanted to let families know that all students remained safe but that an evacuation and early dismissal were necessary precautions.

The situation began at 10:18 a.m. when Westmount secondary received a threat by recorded phone message. Due to the nature of the threat, school staff immediately pulled Westmount’s fire alarm to evacuate the building. Westmount students were safely evacuated to the Westmount Recreation Centre.

Emergency crews including Hamilton Police responded to the school. They spent the rest of the day investigating the threat using officers as well as canine units.

Due to the time involved in receiving an approval to re-enter the school, senior staff decided to dismiss Westmount students. Students under 18 were only dismissed when their Period 2 teacher contacted a parent; students over age 18 did not require this step.

As Westmount evacuated, neighbouring Westview and Westwood elementary schools were put into Hold and Secure. Hold and Secure requires the building to be secured and all persons to remain in the school due to an ongoing, non-school related situation in the area.

As we look forward to the return to school tomorrow, please note the following:

• We will secure any bags that were left behind in open, common areas. We will ensure all classrooms are locked and that all student and staff belongings are secured. Students who have left their belongings in the class will be able to collect from their teacher.
• We will flip the order of morning classes: Your first class of the day will be your normal Period 2 class.
• For students attending the figure skating competition, please note that Mr. Northey will be at the school at 7:00 a.m. to help students collect their belongings for the day.
• Parents, please note that we will reschedule parent-teacher interviews as well as School Council.

There may be other outstanding questions. We are happy to help. Please come see us in the office.

In closing, thank you to all students, staff and parents for the patience and understanding you demonstrated today.