LOS ANGELES, United States. An “electronic threat” against several Los Angeles Unified School District has prompted the closure of all of the district’s campuses Tuesday.
Superintendent Ramon Cortines said the threat was “conveyed not to one school, but many schools in the district. Details talked about backpacks, other packages.”
The threat was received by a board member early Tuesday morning, Monica Carasco from LAUSD told CBS News.
An FBI official told CBS News senior investigative producer Pat Milton that the FBI is assisting the Los Angeles Police Department in the investigation.
“This is a rare threat. We get threats all the time,” Cortines said, while emphasizing that the threat was directed only at LAUSD schools, but not any specific campus. “I think the circumstances in neighboring San Bernardino, I think what has happened in the nation, I think what happened internationally — I, as superintendent, am not going to take the chance with the life of a student.”
The superintendent said he has alerted his staff to speak to the plant managers at all the campuses and asked them to walk the grounds for anything out of order, CBS Los Angeles reported. All of the district’s facilities, including early education centers, special education, adult education and charter schools will also be closed and searched.
Los Angeles Unified School District police Chief Steven Zipperman says the threat is still being evaluated.
An email sent to North Hollywood High School parents called it a bomb threat and said students and staff should remain at home until the situation is resolved, CBS Los Angeles reported.
Steve Zimmer, president of the LA Unified school board, asked parents not to send their kids to school.
“We need to cooperation of the whole of Los Angeles today,” Zimmer said. “We need families and neighbors to work together with our schools and with our employees to make sure our schools are safe throughout today.”
All of the district’s school buses were recalled to its yard in Gardena.
LAPD officials say officers are out in force around all LAUSD school following the threat.
LAUSD is the second largest school district in the nation, serving more than 655,000 students.
Credit: CBS
