Second Mississauga high school on alert after online threat of shooting received

A second Mississauga high school and seventh in Peel is now on high alert after online threats surfaced suggesting that the schools would be targeted by a gunman tomorrow (March 10).

Lincoln Alexander Secondary School in the Malton area of Mississauga joins Ascension of Our Lord Secondary School, also in Malton, as Mississauga schools taking precautions both today and Friday in the face of the online threats.

Holy Name of Mary, Louise Arbour, St. Thomas Aquinas, Notre Dame and Chinguacousy secondary schools, all in Brampton, have also received similar threats.

The threats, which began coming to light last week, have shaken many students, parents and others in the school communities, with a number of parents saying they’ll keep their kids out of school on Friday.

They’ve also prompted a commitment from Peel Regional Police to show “a noticeable police presence at the targeted schools” in an effort to reassure parents that the safety of students “is paramount.”

Peel police say they were notified of threats circulating on social media last week about a gunman planning to attend six secondary schools in Brampton and Mississauga on March 10 to “shoot them up.”

Lincoln Alexander, the seventh school now on high alert, was added to the list of high schools by police today (March 9).

“We understand how concerning this is to the school staff, students, their families and the community as a whole,” a police spokesperson told reporters on Tuesday.

Police say both the Dufferin-Peel Catholic and Peel district school boards are taking the threats seriously and are working with officers on enhanced safety measures and emergency strategies.

And while police said that any decision to cancel classes would be made by the school boards, the decision on whether to send kids to school on Friday will come down to each family.

“We’re not going to tell them to stay at home or not stay at home; that’s up to the parents,” police said, adding that parents should talk to their kids about the threats to see “whether they wish to go and how they feel.”

Investigators did not comment on which social media platform was used to make the threats and said they are taking “all reasonable measures” to ensure the safety of students and to track down the person or people behind the threats.

Anyone with information about these threats is asked to contact Peel Regional Police at 905-453-2121, ext. 1233, or Peel Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.

–with files from Ryan Rumbolt