As of Tuesday morning, the entire Los Angeles Unified school district is closed on account of a bomb threat, the Associated Press reported. The shutdown represents the nation's second largest, but according to CNBC, comments from superintendents regarding the nature of the threat remain vague. According to school district officials and the police, the shutdown was prompted by a "credible terror threat" received at an unknown time on Tuesday morning, KTLA TV reported.
Superintendent Ramon Cortines made a statement on the shutdown, which involves more than 655,000 students, and emphasized the credibility behind the decision.
[The threat was] conveyed not to one school, but many schools in the district. Details talked about backpacks, other packages. ... This is a rare threat. We get threats all the time.
The superintendent added that he has requested that plant managers at each school scan the grounds to search for anything out the ordinary. The LAPD and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department are working in unison to search the campuses and stand guard, CBC Los Angeles also reported.
School board president Steve Zimmer asked Los Angeles to help oversee the safety of its children.
We need the cooperation of all of Los Angeles today ... We need families and neighbors to work together with our schools and with our employees to make sure our kids are safe throughout the day.
Some children are still at the schools but have been directed to wait for pickup at assigned gates that are being monitored. Television broadcasts are urging parents to pick up their children immediately if they have not already done so.
USA Today reported that the LAPD is working with the FBI to investigate the validity of the electronic threats that have yet to be described in further detail.
This story is developing...
