TORONTO (AP) — More than 19,000 students on the small Canadian province of Prince Edward Island have been evacuated because of a "potential threat."

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said Wednesday that students at more than 60 English language and French language schools are being taken to safe locations by staff outside the schools, where buses are meeting them.

Police provided no other details, but a news conference will be held later in the day

Parents and guardians are being asked to wait for further instructions before picking up their children.

Parker Grimmer, the island's director of public schools, says police contacted the school system Wednesday morning about "a threat that was of a significant nature" and asked for the evacuation of all schools.

Three schools in the nearby province of Nova Scotia — NSCC Marconi Campus, Cape Breton University and the NSCC technology campus in Halifax — also have also been evacuated due to potential threats.