Almost 200 Highland schools received threatening emails during Wednesday’s widespread security alert, with the majority evacuating pupils as a precaution while police assessed the situation.
Highland Council has confirmed that 196 schools across the region received the messages on 11 November, revealing the full scale of the disruption experienced by pupils, parents and teachers.
Schools immediately reviewed their emergency procedures, with most deciding to evacuate while awaiting further information from Police Scotland.
The threatening emails were part of a much wider incident involving around 1,000 schools across Scotland, prompting a major investigation into their source.
Police Scotland subsequently confirmed that the messages were being treated as hoaxes, with officers finding nothing to suggest a credible threat to schools or the wider public.
Once that assessment was communicated, Highland schools contacted parents directly to explain arrangements for the remainder of the day.
Some schools were able to reopen, while others remained closed because pupils had already returned home or been collected by their parents.
The Council said the safety of children and young people had been its overriding priority throughout the incident.
All Highland schools were expected to reopen as normal on Thursday 12 November.
Police Scotland has advised that there is no requirement for schools to evacuate or keep children away from education based solely on the contents of the threatening emails.
The incident caused considerable disruption across Highland communities, with families having to make unexpected arrangements for children who were sent home during the school day.
For school staff, the situation required immediate decisions about pupil safety while information about the nature and credibility of the threats was still emerging.
The incident follows a similar round of threatening messages sent to Scottish schools on 19 October, which police also assessed as a hoax.
Police Scotland’s Cyber and Fraud Unit is now carrying out extensive enquiries to establish who was responsible for sending the latest messages.
Specialist officers are working with law enforcement partners across the UK and internationally as part of that investigation.
Although police have reassured families that the messages did not represent a credible threat, the latest figures demonstrate just how extensively Highland education was disrupted by the incident.
