‘Systemic failure’: Amid hoax bomb threats, Chandigarh Parents Association hits out at crisis management

Reports indicate that threatening emails were received as early as 8 am, yet many schools took one to two hours to decide on evacuation. The association noted that in a potential disaster, the ‘Golden Hour’ is critical, as children sat in classrooms while the management debated whether the threat was real.

Goyal added that while parents are the primary stakeholders, yet today they were treated as an afterthought, with some schools issuing vague messages citing unforeseen circumstances instead of stating the facts.

“Parents have a right to know immediately if their child’s safety is at risk, not to discover it later through social media.”

The CPA has condemned the decision to ask thousands of parents to “rush to school immediately” for if there were a real bomb or fire, ambulances and fire tenders would have been trapped in the traffic caused by parents.

The association has demanded that the administration enforce a Standard Reunification Protocol (SRP), the global standard for school emergencies. Also, schools must have pre-designated reunification sites, such as parks or community centres, away from the school building, so police routes remain clear.

“Instead of asking parents to bring cars, schools must load children on buses. Parents should be told to wait until the area is secured before rushing in, to ensure emergency vehicles have access. By telling schools to continue regular academic operations during an active threat, the Administration is asking educators to gamble with children’s lives. We demand precaution over protocol. It is better to close schools for a hoax than to keep one open for a tragedy,” Goyal added.