Glenunga International High School threats roll on as parents kept in the dark

For more than a year, families at this Adelaide school have lived under a terrifying cloud and, according to this parent, been kept disgracefully in the dark.

• Fresh twist in Glenunga High threat
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Between November 2024 and February 2025, Glenunga International High School received 13 threatening emails.

It wasn’t until February that parents were informed there had been “a series of emails of concern sent to the principal” that included “threats”.

Kids would practise their “regular lockdown and evacuation drills” while security patrols and an insane amount of bright orange and white bollards suddenly appeared as a garish and frightening barricade.

Police and security guards patrolled the school boundary.

And the threats kept coming.

In February, prior to the arrest of an 18-year-old (and before all of his charges were quietly dropped), parents were sent another email about the plastic bollards.

The message was clear – nothing to worry about.

“Unfortunately, due to a miscommunication, double the amount of bollards were put in places they weren’t needed on Friday evening,” the letter from Principal Wendy Johnson dated February 24 said.

She added “there is no change in the unpleasant emails or the level of concern”, while never informing us of what the police and school thought the level of concern was.

“Please emphasise business as usual and help your young person navigate the ambiguities of contemporary life.”

Sorry what? We’re calling serious and frightening threats to our children’s safety a quirk of modern living now?

Those pesky threats, we would later learn – and not from the school of course – included threats to bomb the school and boil students in oil, to poison supermarket produce and to harm Gather Round crowds.

Police security patrolling at Glenunga International High school. Picture: Kelly Barnes

The bollards at Glenunga International High School. Picture: RoyVPhotography

Those “unpleasant” emails had triggered one of the state’s most significant police operations – a lengthy investigation involving more than 100 local officers, ASIO and the AFP.

Glenunga parents learnt all of this from South Australia’s media – not from the school.

“There is no need for any students to be kept home because of safety concerns.” Ms Johnson added.

Another letter a little later from the Governing Council further downplayed the situation.

“Decisions around communications were made in collaboration with SAPOL at all times,” a letter from GC Chair Ben Gill said.

He then attempted to shut down further communication stating there’d be no further comment as it was before the courts.

Glenunga International High School. Supplied

Police investigating long-running threats made against the Glenunga International High School community have released a slab of intel on the culprit in a bid to finally catch them. Picture: Emma Brasier

On June 13 we were informed security guards would remain at the school “out of an abundance of caution”.

No further explanation and parents were certainly not informed that despite an arrest the threats had continued coming.

On Monday, just minutes before police held a press conference, Glenunga parents were sent an “update” from Education Department chief executive Martin Westwell.

We were told, not asked, that our children – boys and girls as young as 11 and 12 – would be spoken to by the police that day.

The letter dropped well after school drop off, leaving parents unable to speak to each other or their children about it beforehand.

It said SAPOL would be sharing “key information” with students.

The school, at the time of writing this, had not shared this key information with parents – for that we had to listen to the press conference and read The Advertiser.

Parents have the right to make informed choices about their children’s safety and wellbeing. When we drop our children at their gates we should be assured that the staff and teachers will do everything they can to keep them safe and be open about how they are doing so.

The school, under the guidance of SAPOL and the Education Department, has dropped the ball in its duty of care to its families and students.

The lack of transparency just doesn’t meet the standards we should all expect from a school as we help our children “navigate the ambiguities of contemporary life”.

Especially when it comes to the most precious thing of all – their safety.

Originally published as Glenunga International High School threats roll on as parents kept in the dark