Schools in Nanaimo had some tense moments after receiving a threat.
The Nanaimo school district said in an online statement that all schools were put into a "hold and secure" state after receiving the threat at 9 a.m. The threat was made online but no specific location was mentioned.
The district said it was "business as usual" in the schools during the hold-and-secure state, which the district says is not categorized as a lockdown even though "all entry doors are locked with no one allowed in or out."
Students at Hammond Bay Elementary School were seen running single file into the school's main building as staff evacuated portable classrooms.
The hold and secure was lifted at 10:20 a.m.
Nanaimo RCMP said, in a press release, a message was posted to a website that led school district administrators to lock exterior doors and keep students inside for several hours.
Police are investigating the message, which they characterized as "non-specified" and "vague" that did not mention a municipality or specific school. The posting has been removed.