Email with bomb threats rails against Hamilton school, trans teacher

The two emails containing bomb threats against an east Hamilton Mountain school had “similarities,” with the first message accusing the school of failing to create a “safe learning environment” because it hired a controversial trans teacher.

Students and staff evacuated Nora Frances Henderson Secondary School yesterday and today (Sept. 22) because the school received bomb threats. No injuries or arrests have been reported in connection with the incidents.

In a screenshot of the first email that police officer Indy Bharaj shared today with hamilton.insauga.com, the email writer also railed against the Ontario Ministry of Education. The letter writer accused both the ministry and the school of encouraging “degenerate and sexually deviant behaviour from its staff members, the main degenerate of course being Kayla (Lemieux).”

Lemieux, a controversial trans shop teacher, recently transferred to Hamilton’s Nora Frances Henderson Secondary School from Oakville. Lemieux had made headlines worldwide because of her unusually large prosthetic breasts.

The first email sent Thursday warned of “several bombs” at Nora Frances Henderson Secondary School. It stated: “We will end your lives if you do not evacuate the school. Next time there may not be a warning.”

“The chickens**t coward administrators would prefer to allow pedophiles to prey upon children and expose their fetish to them than to be called a bigot, transphobe or whatever the new term is now,” the email read. “You are weak, pathetic, cowardly and don’t deserve to be in government, you don’t even deserve to be called Canadians. You are degenerate subhumans.”

The email writer denounced Education Minister Stephen Lecce, accusing him of turning the education system “into a f***ing joke.”

“We aren’t going to stand idly by as you bastards push this woke sh*t and poison the minds of future generations,” the email read. “You will be looked down upon in the future. Stephen Lecce, you had a chance to make this right and you failed. You are a gutless coward and should be ashamed of yourself.”

Bharaj said the two emails were sent to multiple recipients but not to the police, which shared a copy it obtained of the first email sent yesterday. He said he could not share a copy of the second emailed threat.

Bharaj said the school became aware of the second bomb threat at about 8:45 a.m. today (Sept. 22).

The school staff and students evacuated at about 9:09 a.m. and returned to the school at 10:30 a.m.

Hamilton police are investigating the incidents.

The Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board declined to share details about the bomb threat and the teacher mentioned in the email.

“As this is an active situation, we are not able to offer interviews or comments at this time,” it said in an email to hamilton.insauga.com today (Sept. 22). “HWDSB will communicate updates to students, families and staff directly, and any public information may be posted online. The safety and well-being of our students and staff remains our top priority. We take every threat of violence against a school community seriously and have supports in place for student and staff well-being.”

The school was sent the first bomb threat shortly after it opened Thursday, Sept. 21, according to principal Tom Fisher’s letter to families. Hamilton police were immediately dispatched to the school and students and staff were evacuated to Ray Lewis Elementary School. The building was “deemed safe” until a second bomb threat today forced students and staff to evacuate the school again. 

Fisher noted in a second letter he sent families last night that the school takes “all threats seriously” and practises regular drills throughout the year to be prepared for this type of event.