Closed School Reopens, 'Overreacted' - Police

GEMS Wellington Academy in Al Khail has reopened after being closed Wednesday morning following 'suspicious activity' by a woman entering its grounds using a parent pass.  Major General Abdullah Khalifa al Merri, Commander in Chief of Dubai Police, has confirmed that the woman was a mother of one of the students who had left a liquid cleaning product inside the school, causing the school administration to panic.

“Dubai police acted quickly and checked the material left by the Latino mother in her 30s. We summoned the mother to know her intention as she enter the school using a parent’s permit and left the material,” Maj Gen Al Merri said. “The school overreacted to the incident. There was nothing to worry about.”

According to reports the woman, who was wearing a medical mask with cleaning gear and powder soap, had gone to the school with the intention of 'contributing and educating the workers how to clean the school'.

In a statement sent to WhichSchoolAdvisor.com, a GEMS Education spokesperson said: “GEMS Wellington Academy Al Khail will function as normal from Thursday following a minor occurrence.

"As the safety and security of our students and staff is our foremost priority, we suspended classes temporarily.

"We thank Dubai Police for their prompt support in resolving the situation swiftly. We reiterate to all students and parents that we are fully committed to the well-being of our students.”

In an earlier statement, Dubai Police said a Latino woman, mother of a student, entered the school and acted "suspiciously". She did not, they said, pose any immediate threat to the safety of the students.

A GEMS Education spokesperson had told media: “Authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident. All students are safe under the provision of school authorities while this matter is investigated further.”

At 11:00 a.m. the parent used her access card to enter the school. The school, identifying her behaviour as "suspicious", suggested parents pick up their children. According to media reports, children were also placed in the corners of their classroom after the alert was sent out through the school. 

More than 100 parents waited for nearly an hour outside the school, as Dubai Police and the CID investigated.

Parents were not provided with details as to what had happened, but social media and WhatsApp groups had carried unverified information that someone had entered the school without permission. Some social media reports had earlier claimed two intruders had entered the school.

GEMS Wellington Academy is an all through school, following the UK curriculum, with children from Britain making up the single largest nationality in a diverse student body representing over 80 nations. Over 1000 students attend the 'Good' rated, GEMS Education owned school. 

Keep checking this article: It will be updated as more details are made available.