Member's statement: Security Threats to Schools
Member's statement by Ms Cara Hunter on .
- MLA
- Ms Cara Hunter
- Party at the time
- Social Democratic and Labour Party
- Date
- 24 March 2025
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Security Threats to Schools
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4864529
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I express my concern following the disgraceful threats to schools across Northern Ireland today: in Strabane, in Ballycastle and many in Enniskillen. Those threats have resulted in the closure of Holy Cross College in Strabane, Strabane Academy, Strabane Primary School, Cross and Passion College in Ballycastle, Enniskillen Integrated Primary School and more, leaving teachers, principals, staff and pupils absolutely terrified. That is totally unacceptable. Information so far this morning reveals that there have been bomb threats and unconfirmed messages circulating on social media alluding to weapons having been left at campuses in Northern Ireland. The security threats follow on from a primary school in Lurgan receiving an anonymous, concerning phone call on 7 March that alluded to child safety concerns. As a result, the school had to step up its security and take further precautionary measures. Our children in Northern Ireland deserve to feel safe. They deserve to experience education without there being any barrier to their safety. The mentality of those who threaten the safety of our children is absolutely unacceptable. We will not normalise that shameful and sinister behaviour. The perpetrators must be held accountable. I put it on the record that, as politicians in this Building, none of us will tolerate such despicable threats of violence towards our primary schools and our children, who are young and vulnerable. My ask is for the Minister of Education and the Department to conduct an immediate safety and security review of all 1,074 schools in the North to ensure that all our children are safe. I ask for that not to create hysteria but to make the safety, health and well-being of our children an absolute political priority.
278 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.07 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.84).
- No identity-based framing was identified (0.65).
- Subject area: Education structures, integration and community division.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.04 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.03 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.04 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.04 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.84 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.07 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.65 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.35 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Education structures, integration and community division | 0.46 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.27 |
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 0.14 |
| Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups | 0.06 |
| Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism | 0.04 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:10 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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