Helensvale State School forced into lockdown after bomb threat

Parents were asked not to drop off their children to a Gold Coast School following yet another threat this morning.

Police at Helensvale State School this morning after a bomb threat was telephoned to the school.

A Gold Coast primary school was forced into a lockdown for an hour and a half this morning after threatening telephone phone calls were made to the school.

Police were called to the school at 8.40am as a result of the calls, which included a bomb threat.

Parents who had not already dropped their children off at the school were asked remain home while the lockdown was in place, while others who were in the process of dropping their children off found themselves unable to leave school grounds.

A large number of police officers attended the scene, checking the school grounds before the all clear was given at 10.20am.

It is understood police also visited Helensvale High School as a precautionary measure.

Police at Helensvale State School this morning after a bomb threat put the school into lockdown.

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In a text at 8.50am the school had asked parents to keep students who had not already been dropped off with them until further notice.

Children already at the school were kept safe by teachers during the lockdown.

“Please note due to a threat made to school we are in a lockdown,” the text to parents this morning read.

“If you have not dropped students please keep with you until further notice.

If you have already dropped students to school please be advised they are safe and being cared for.”

Police outside Helensvale State School this morning.

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A number of parents and younger siblings were also stuck in the lockdown after dropping off their children this morning.

“We sat under the tables and played on iPads, it was pretty scary when the first alarm went off, they didn’t tell us what was happening,” one mother told the Bulletin.

The woman’s 7-year-old is a student at the school, which has been the target of a number of recent threats.

Parents were allowed to leave when the lockdown was lifted just after 10am, as lessons resumed for students.

Police vehicles outside Helensvale State School this morning.

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Parents were quick to express their anger that the school had again been the target of telephone threats, while praising staff for how they handled the incident.

“I am so sick an tired of these bloody people making threats,” one parent commented on the Gold Coast Bulletin’s Facebook page.

“Poor children are going to be traumatised.

“Well done to the teachers for coping with such awful circumstances.”

Another parent told the Bulletin she was worried about the impact of the lockdowns on her child.

“It is frustrating,” the parent said. “The last time my daughter was hiding under her desk for five hours due to the same thing.

“The school do their best with what they can. But this can’t keep happening.”