Meeting called to calm concerns about threatening letter found at schools

PENTICTON – While investigators try to figure who is behind the bizarre, threatening letter which forced some schools in the South Okanagan to go into lock down last week, RCMP and school district officials will try to calm concerned parents on Sunday.

A stack of 30 copies of the letter threatening to harm students was found by staff in the Skaha Middle School parking lot in Penticton on Wednesday, Feb. 18, while another six copies were found on the grounds at Princess Margaret Secondary across the street.

RCMP say investigators have spent the last few days tracking leads and looking into 30 tips. The letter has been handed over to the force’s behavioural experts.

A community meeting on school safety is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. in Salon C at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre.

“While we have been assured there is no immediate threat we did want to come together as a community to share information with you out of an abundance of caution,” Okanagan-Skaha School District superintendent Wendy Hyer says in a media release.

Members of the RCMP and school district staff will be there to “ensure we are sharing with you the information we have available and to ensure each of you are supported in the community,” Hyer says.

While the investigation continues, RCMP say they have exhausted their leads and are asking parents to talk to their kids about the case in hopes the person or persons responsible of making the letters left clues to their identity by something they said or did.

Anyone with any information is asked to call Penticton RCMP at 250-492-4300, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Howard Alexander at halexander@infonews.ca or call 250-491-0331. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.