UPDATE: 10:30 a.m. The Wellington Catholic District School board reports police have informed them "there is no credible threat to student or staff safety."
Police also report that the photo of guns has proven to be a stock image and that the most recent posts were related to a previous online incident that was investigated and dealt with, proving to be of no danger to the public.
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Guelph police and both local school boards say they are aware of online threats made Wednesday night on social media aimed at Guelph schools but don't believe students or staff are in any imminent danger.
"We believe there is no immediate threat that we're aware of," Guelph police spokesperson said Thursday morning. "We're aware of the threats, and our detectives were working on it much of the night."
The threats centred around two social media posts: one telling students in Guelph not to attend school Thursday and the other was a picture of firearms, Tracey said.
He said the picture of firearms was the same one used in a threat against schools in another jurisdiction earlier this month.
"At least one of the images being shared was not generated here," Tracey said, adding that police have received a lot of calls from parents regarding the posts.
Guelph police youth officers will be making increased visits to local high schools today and are available if any anyone wishes to talk, but other than that no significant increased police presence is planned.
The messages, and reactions to them, were circulating widely among high school students.
It is the second time this week that police have dealt with an online threats issue.
"The Guelph Police Service was involved in an investigation earlier this week of similar online threats. A youth was identified as being responsible for those posts and has been spoken to by police. He has been determined not to represent a danger to the public," police said.
"The Guelph Police Service was involved in an investigation earlier this week of similar online threats. A youth was identified as being responsible for those posts and has been spoken to by police. He has been determined not to represent a danger to the public."
Police tweeted Wednesday evening that they were aware of the online posts and were investigating.
Both local school boards issued statements.
"We wanted to provide you with information regarding general online threats being made against schools Wednesday night. These reported threats follow similar threats made online to various schools in the GTA earlier this month," said the Upper Grand District School Boad.
"We understand that there is concern in the community regarding these incidents. We take every incident of threats such as this very seriously, and work with police to investigate each one thoroughly to bring those responsible to account.
"We contacted police Wednesday night and they are investigating. We are thankful for the support of our police partners and they will continue to support us with any information that may come our way. We will continue to share information with families as we receive updates from police.
"We understand that these incidents are upsetting to all. If students need any support, please reach out to your school administrators. Support is available."
The Wellington Catholic District School Board issued a similar statement.
"We wanted to provide you with information regarding general online threats being made against schools Wednesday night. These reported threats follow similar threats made online to various schools in the GTA earlier this month.
"Multiple school boards are aware of these threats and there is a heightened concern and vigilance across school boards as a result.
"We understand that there is concern in the community regarding these incidents. We are aware that similar threats have been made against a number of schools recently in Ontario. We take every incident of threats such as this very seriously, and work with police to investigate each one thoroughly to bring those responsible to account.
"We contacted police Wednesday night and they are investigating. We are thankful for the support of our police partners and they will continue to support us with any information that may come our way. We will continue to share information with families as we receive updates from police.
"We understand that these incidents are upsetting to all. If students need any support, please reach out to your school administrators. Support is available."
Many parents indicated that they would not be sending their high school-aged children to school on Thursday, others were.
"My kids are staying home real or not their lives are not worth all the what ifs. I’m not willing to take a chance," said one parent on Facebook.
"I sent mine. Yes it’s a very scary situation and I’m sure I’ll be wondering all day, but they don’t know exactly what school this is intended for and this could also happen any day at anytime with out a 'warning'. It’s a scary world we are living in these days unfortunately," said another mom.
The Guelph Police Service is aware of a concerning and threatening message circulating on social media tonight and is investigating. Anyone with information about who is behind the message is asked to call police. #Guelph -st
— Guelph Police Service (@GuelphPolice) March 30, 2023
