All Los Angeles Unified School District schools were closed Tuesday morning due to a bomb threat, LAUSD Superintendent Ramon Cortines announced at a Tuesday morning news conference.
Cortines said that the threat was made to students and that the threat was to many schools, but they were not specifically identified. He called for all schools to be searched Tuesday to make sure they were safe for students to return on Wednesday.
School authorities said at a morning news conference that they had received an electronic threat, prompting them to alert the L.A. School Police Department, the LAPD and the FBI. The threat was still being analyzed as of the news conference.
"Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our kids," a police representative said at the conference.
The decision to close schools was made in light of the shooting in San Bernardino, as well as national and international events, Cortines said. He said he wouldn't take a chance with the lives of students.
L.A. School Police confirmed that students who were already at schools were going to be sent home. Students and staff were being directed to stay away from schools.
"We are taking this action in an abundance of caution to make sure that every child in L.A. Unified School District, every employee is absolutely safe," said LAUSD School Board President Steve Zimmer. "Right now, we ask parents, families, if you have not yet sent your children to school, do not send them to school."
Zimmer said he would have families meet their children at the reunion gates of all schools.
"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," Zimmer said.
Zimmer also asked for employers to show flexibility with parents.
Buses were returned to their lots because they're not picking up students, Cortines said.
LAUSD is the nation's second-largest school district, with more than 640,000 students at more than 900 schools.
Source: La times
