Thursday October 22nd 2026
This personal view has been written by Midlothian Council Leader Kelly Parry
As a parent, I completely understand why the reports of bomb threats to schools this week have frightened families. There is nothing more instinctive than wanting to protect your children, and I have every sympathy with parents who struggled with the decision about whether to send their children to school on Tuesday. No parent should feel judged for being worried, and I know that for some families, the anxiety was very real.
I faced that same decision myself. I sent my own daughter to school on Tuesday, and I want to explain why. It was not because I was unconcerned, or because I took the threats lightly. Quite the opposite, I considered the information available, listened to the professional advice and made what I believed was the right decision for my child.
As someone who leads a council, I understand the responsibility that comes with decisions affecting thousands of families. You have to listen, consider the evidence and take advice from the people whose job it is to assess risk. The advice from Police Scotland was that the threats were being treated as a hoax, with no imminent risk identified. On that basis, I believed it was right to send my daughter to school.
I respect that other parents may have reached a different decision. We all have to make these choices for our own children, and nobody should be made to feel guilty for being frightened or for wanting a little more reassurance. Parents, pupils and school staff have been put in an incredibly difficult position, and they deserve compassion, not criticism.
But we must also recognise what keeping our schools open means. Schools provide routine, friendship, education and a sense of normality. Our teachers and support staff work hard to make them safe, welcoming places, and they deserve our thanks for continuing to care for children during an unsettling week.
We should take every threat seriously, investigate it properly and never become complacent. But there is a difference between taking a threat seriously and allowing fear to dictate our lives.
Those who deliberately create fear cause real harm. And when people seek to exploit that fear to stir up hostility, division or distrust in our communities, we must be careful not to give them what they want.
As a parent, I want my daughter to grow up knowing that her safety matters. But I also want her to grow up confident, resilient and free to enjoy her childhood without being frightened into believing that danger is around every corner.
On Tuesday, I made the decision I believed was right for my daughter, based on the advice available to me. I know other parents faced the same difficult choice, and I have nothing but sympathy for them.
We must always be vigilant, but we must also be guided by evidence, trust those working to keep us safe, and stand together as communities. Our children deserve to learn, laugh and grow up without fear being allowed to win.
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