McEntee urges 'clearer protocol' amid school bomb threats

Updated / Thursday, 12 Nov 2026 16:45

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Minister for Defence Helen McEntee has indicated that a "clearer protocol" should be provided for schools after a series of bomb threats were made in recent days.

Schools and authorities were praised for their quick response, as Minister McEntee slammed those behind the threats, saying they had caused disruption and instilled fear.

Gardaí said they were aware of a "generic communication" that had been sent to a number of educational establishments, which were later assessed as "not credible".

Schools were advised to remain open but with a fresh round of bomb hoaxes targeting schools, there have been calls for the Government to set out clearer protocols for schools to follow in the event of a bomb threat.

"I'm not sure anybody was expecting this to happen to schools. It's not a normal situation, and thankfully, it's not something that has happened regularly, or indeed, it's not since I can remember," Ms McEntee said.

"Schools, I think, responded extremely well, and I've spoken to some principals, staff members, teachers, and while some schools responded differently, everybody was front and centre of their actions, it was student safety, staff safety, and how do we engage with the gardaí as quickly as possible.

"The gardaí have said very clearly that if a threat like this comes in again, the first thing to do is to engage directly with the gardaí, but also to take decisions within the school as to what is appropriate for that individual school," she added.

"But I think we need to learn lessons from the last 24 hours. I think if there is a clearer protocol that needs to be provided for schools, that we do that.

"If there is a clearer route to engage with the gardaí, that we put that in place and that we listen to the teachers and to the staff," she said.

Ms McEntee commended gardaí and school staff.

The Fine Gael minister also said she does not believe there has been an overreaction to the threats.

"I think very natural, it's a concern for anybody to receive a phone call, to receive an email, to be put in that type of a situation," she added.

Director of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals Paul Crone has said that schools need a co-ordinated response to bomb scares and threats.

Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, Mr Crone said, "We can't have a situation where school principals are saying, do I close? Do I not close? Should I err on the side of caution? We need to have clear protocols, checklists, and direction from the emergency services because ultimately the schools will have to act.

"This is not their area of expertise. They will have to act on the advice of the emergency services," he added.

He said that the Department of Education, gardaí and the education stakeholders - management bodies and the teaching unions - "all need to come together to put together a protocol that is reasonable, safe, but workable at the same time at a school level."

"Yesterday a lot of schools were dialling the emergency services and dialling 999, which puts additional pressure on those services.

"But in the likes of yesterday's situation where there is a widespread bomb hoax, we need to find a way that is easy and quick to communicate with schools and school principals so that they're informed and they can reassure their school communities that everybody is safe," Mr Crone said.