HSC chaos as NSW Police evacuate schools after ‘threatening email’

Exams interrupted, several Sydney schools cleared by NSW Police after receiving a ‘threatening email’.

The Willoughby Girls High School was among those evacuated as a precaution. Picture: Bianca De Marchi

HSC exams at a number of Sydney high schools were cancelled on Tuesday and thousands of students forced to evacuate after staff members received a wave of emailed bomb threats.

Police said almost 20 high schools were sent a similar message from an “anonymous” sender that claimed a “suspicious item” had been identified on school grounds.

Staff at Willoughby Girls High on Sydney’s north shore were the first to receive the “threatening email” at about 11am on Tuesday.

“Since that time, at least another 18 high schools across Sydney have received similar threatening emails,” NSW Police said in a statement.

“Local officers are being assisted by specialist officers to conduct extensive searches at each of the schools, but no items of interest have been located at this time.”

Students were evacuated at Willoughby Girls High, Castle Hill High, Thomas Reddall High, Mount Annan High, Elizabeth Macarthur High, Picnic Point High and Jamison High.

Affected schools suspended the Legal Studies HSC exam, forcing hundreds of year 12 students to flee exam halls halfway through the three-hour test.

Police said initial inquiries suggested the “threats are linked” and confirmed that specialist cybercrime detectives would lead the investigation into the origins of the emails.

Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said emergency response plans had been enacted at the affected schools as a precaution.

“Obviously that would be very distressing to students, if their exams have been disrupted due to a threat of that nature,” she said

“We have very clear protocols in place to assist schools if there is any issue that affects an exam.”

HSC misadventure provisions

Ms Mitchell said HSC students who were affected by the evacuations would be able to apply for misadventure provisions through the NSW Education Standards Authority.

Parents of students at Willoughby Girls High were sent a message alerting them to the unfolding incident.

“We have been advised to conduct an off-site evacuation and are taking all students to our evacuation point under police guidance,” the message said.

“We will update you via SkoolBag but want to reiterate and assure you everyone is safe.” 

In a statement on Facebook, Colo High School in Richmond, north-west of Sydney, said

staff had received an email identifying a “suspicious item located on school grounds.”

“Although there does not seem to be a specific threat we are evacuating all students and staff to the top oval,” the statement said.

“This evacuation includes Year 12 students undertaking their HSC exams, which a group misadventure has been lodged. We will keep you updated.”

The incident comes just days after a number of schools in the UK were evacuated following a similar bomb threat that appeared to be a hoax. 

In 2016, sophisticated hackers based outside of Australia sent a wave of hoax bomb threats to schools across NSW, Canberra, Victoria and Queensland. 

Dozens of schools received the same automated phone message warning that an explosive device was on school grounds. 

The threat was part of a global hoax led by hackers that sent similar phone messages to almost 300 schools across the UK, the US, France, Japan, Sweden and Norway.