24 March 2025

SDLP Education Spokesperson Cara Hunter MLA has said that children must be able to feel safe at school.

She was speaking after a number of schools in Strabane, Enniskillen and Ballycastle were forced to close due to security concerns.

Police said it followed a threatening email, which they are now treating as a hoax.

East Derry MLA Ms Hunter said:

“This was an absolutely disgraceful incident that disrupted the learning of children across Northern Ireland and impacted their family lives at the start of this week. I cannot understand what would possess someone to engage in this type of activity and it has left many young people, including children, unable to go to school as planned.

“I raised this issue on the floor of the Assembly today and underlined the importance of reviewing safety and security in our schools. While this sinister threat thankfully turned out to be a hoax, the person behind it must be held accountable. This experience will no doubt have been confusing and even scary for some of the children caught up in it and every child must be able to feel safe and secure at school.”

SDLP West Tyrone MLA Daniel McCrossan said:

“This threat caused chaos for families across Strabane this morning who were trying to get their children to school and get on with their lives. People were very concerned about the reasons for this closure and I welcome that the matter has now been resolved without incident.

“The person who made the decision to interfere with our children’s education in this way must face the full consequences of their actions. I would urge anyone with any information to come forward to police.”