Authorities are evaluating new strategies to minimise disruption to HSC students, which could include not evacuating exam halls, as email threats continue to hit schools across the state.
From Thursday, under new protocols, police could conduct searches of exam halls and choose not to evacuate students if it is deemed safe.
Students from Willoughby Public School return to school on Tuesday afternoon after being evacuated when the adjacent high school received threatening emails.Credit:Janie Barrett
On Wednesday, 10 regional NSW schools, including Yass High and Bomaderry High, were targeted by threatening emails, similar to those that caused 20 Sydney high schools to be evacuated on Tuesday.
In both incidents, students sitting their HSC exams were among those evacuated.
"There'll be protocols that will be put in place between New South Wales Police and Department of Education to mitigate against and reduce the impact of this type of activity," cybercrime squad commander Detective Superintendent Matt Craft said.
He added that police would assess each threat on a "case by case basis".
"It's not about the NSW Police or the Department of Education ignoring these emails. It's about making more informed decisions based on information we have," he said.
Police will still be called to a school each time a threat is received, but alternative measures may be used to ensure minimal disruption to those sitting their final exams.
Superintendent Craft added that all the emails were of a similar nature and from a similar location.
The emails were "fairly bland" and indicated that a device had been located on school property, he said.
Superintendent Craft said no demands had been made in the emails and, in each case, no devices had been found.
"We do believe that there's individuals out there, whether they be students, friends or families that will have some information about who is responsible," Superintendent Craft said.
"It's not lost on us that this is occurring at schools where students are sitting important exams ... and the timing of these emails is right in the middle of exams."
Secretary of the NSW Department of Education Mark Scott said the evacuations had been disappointing for HSC students, many of whom have already had a difficult year.
He said about 300 students sitting the HSC biology exam were evacuated on Wednesday, although most had been able to resume sitting the test.
"There are misadventure provisions that are run by NESA [the NSW Education Standards Authority] that come into play in circumstances like this and no student will be disadvantaged," he said.
"Parents and students should appreciate that our schools are overwhelmingly safe places and the safety of our students and our staff are our absolute top priority."
Minister for Police and Emergency Services David Elliott said the behaviour of those involved was unacceptable and they could face 10 years in jail time for the offence.
"It certainly takes a small and demented mind to interrupt HSC students after a traumatic year, during a pandemic, when the nation is at a heightened state of alert [over] terrorism," he said.
Laura is a journalist for The Sydney Morning Herald.
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2020-10-28 05:16:00Z
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