Hold and secure lifted at Holy Family School in Thunder Bay after graffiti incident

A hold and secure has been lifted at Holy Family School in Thunder Bay, Ont., after police deemed it was safe following an investigation into "hateful graffiti" written on portable doors.

Classes continue to run as usual.

The Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board issued a news release just before 11 a.m. ET on Wednesday notifying media of the incident at the elementary school on Rosslyn Road. The board said the hold and secure was a precautionary measure as the Thunder Bay Police Service investigated.

A hold and secure is put in place when a possible threat is happening in the vicinity of the school. That means the school's outer doors are locked with classes continuing as usual. It was lifted shortly after noon on Wednesday.

The school board also issued a statement on behalf of director of education Pino Tassone shortly after 3:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

"The recent threats to our schools have been appalling and disheartening. I want to emphasize that the safety and well-being of our students and staff are our top priorities and circumstances such as these are always taken seriously.

"Our school resource officers and Thunder Bay Police constables have gone above and beyond investigating these situations and I am thankful for our partnership and their commitment to our school communities. Our schools are safe and welcoming environments, and we intend to keep it this way," Tassone said in the statement.

The board says it is limiting public commentary on the incidents in order to maintain the integrity of ongoing investigations.

The Catholic board has been contending with multiple safety concerns this week.

On Tuesday, St. Patrick High School was closed for the day after it received a threat the day before, though no evidence of an actual threat was found. On Tuesday night, after-school activities were cancelled at St. Ignatius High School after it received a threat, then reopened Wednesday morning once it was determined to be safe. 

Earlier this month, French Catholic schools across northwestern, northern and eastern Ontario were closed for a day due to bomb threats and extortion demands made against them. After investigating, Ontario Provincial Police said that incident was a hoax.