Three Halifax schools were dismissed early on Tuesday because of bomb threats written on paper and bathroom stall doors.

Millwood High School, Park West School and Halifax West High School sent students home Monday morning.

The incident is unrelated to the ongoing police search for a man in Dartmouth who reportedly had a gun in the Gaston Road area.

Lindsey Bunin, spokesperson for the Halifax Regional Centre for Education says cancelling classes is to protect staff and students from any potential threat directed at the school.

“When it is not possible to assure safety, out of an abundance of caution and to allow police to investigate, schools are closed,” Bunin says in an emailed statement.

This is the second day in a row there was a threat at Halifax West which caused for an early dismissal.

There was also an evacuation, Monday, at École Secondaire du Sommet due to a threat.

Bunin adds that these events are disruptive to student learning.

“In addition to any police consequences, those who endanger the well-being of others, damage property or significantly disrupt the learning environment will receive immediate and appropriate consequences for their actions as per the Provincial School Code of Conduct Policy.”

Executive director of the Halifax Regional Centre for Education, Steve Gallagher, says some of the bomb threats in the past month have been written on bathroom stalls or made through anonymous phone calls, according to a statement.

The threats may have been false, but they disrupt thousands of students, staff and families, and he says it diverts emergency services from the community.

He says that teachers will talk to students about making false threats in school on Wednesday.

“We need your help in addressing this issue. Please talk to your children about the seriousness of making false threats and the impact it has on our schools and community,” writes Gallagher.