Causeway Coast politicians react to hoax emails which closed schools

A threatening email was sent to nine schools in Northern Ireland on Monday, March 24, causing some of them to close.

Police later declared the email to be a hoax.

East Derry SDLP MLA Cara 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.”

East Londonderry independent MLA Claire Sugden said: “Targeting schools in this way is cruel and reckless. Even though the threats were hoaxes, the fear they caused was very real — especially for children, parents and teachers.

"Many local families will have been affected or frightened by today’s events. Our schools should always feel safe — this sort of disruption is unacceptable.”

Ms Sugden praised the swift response of the PSNI and school staff, saying: “I want to thank the police and school leaders for acting quickly to protect pupils. Their actions were calm, proportionate and focused on safety. This wasn’t a harmless prank, it was a deliberate attempt to cause fear. Those responsible must be held to account.”