L.A. shuts schools; NYC stays open, says threat a 'hoax'

Luke Skywalker · Dec 15, 2015

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[h=4]L.A. shuts schools; NYC stays open, says threat a 'hoax'[/h]NYC commissioner says generic threat emailed to schools in L.A., NYC and possibly others.

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All schools in the vast Los Angeles Unified School District have been ordered closed due to a threat. (Dec. 15) AP

A police car is parked outside of Miguel Contreras Learning Complex on Dec. 15, 2015, in Los Angeles.(Photo: Ringo H.W. Chiu, AP)

LOS ANGELES — The nation's second-largest school system canceled classes across the city Tuesday after receiving emailed threats, while New York City deemed a similar threat a "hoax" and kept schools open.
New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton said a generic email*threat was sent to multiple*school officials in Los Angeles, New York and possibly other districts across the nation. He said the threat appeared to originate abroad and probably was not "the usual prank of a student not wanting to take an exam."
In Los Angeles, schools*Superintendent*Ramon Cortines said he was told about a threat "to not one school, but to many schools in this school district."*He said the "credible*threat" involved backpacks and other packages*but provided few details. He said he wanted every school searched by day's end so that schools could reopen Wednesday.
The Los Angeles Unified School District is the second largest in the nation and enrolls more than 640,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade, according to its website. More than 900 schools and 187 public charter schools are in a district sprawled across*720 square miles.
Cortines said the district gets threats "all the time," and sometimes that results in lockdowns and precautions. He said recent events in San Bernardino and elsewhere elevated this threat.
"I, as superintendent, am not going to take the chance with the life of a student," he said.*"What we are doing today is not different from what we always due except we are doing it in a mass way."
In New York,*Mayor Bill de Blasio dismissed the threat as "nothing credible," adding that the language used was "outlandish." Bratton suggested*said the source of the threat may have been an avid fan of the television series Homeland.*
Bratton said the threats were made to promote fear,*and that the*NYPD was investigating along with the FBI,*a joint terrorism task force and Los Angeles police. New York is the nation's largest school system, with 1.1 million students attending*almost 2,000 schools.
In Los Angeles, some students already had gone to school when the decision was made to close them. Staff at individual schools stayed with students until their parents could pick them up.
"We need the cooperation of all of Los Angeles today,"*school board president Steve Zimmer said.*"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."
Schools Police Chief Steven Zipperman*said an electronic threat "mentioned the safety of all of our schools."
Jorge Villegas, an assistant chief for Los Angeles police, said officers and the FBI were trying to determine whether*the threat had "validity."
"Nothing is more important than the safety of our kids," he said.
At Kentwood Elementary School in the Westchester section of Los Angeles*stunned parents were heading home with their children. Some said they appreciated the district's decision to take no chances with the safety of their children. Some parents said they should have been sent emails explaining what happened.
"It's kind of weird. We expect school every day," said Dunia Najarro, who had planned on dropping*off her 5-year-old son Ivan. "For me, he needs to be learning."
Joumana Saba, who had brought her sons, ages nine and eight, to Kentwood said she appreciated the district's decision.*She said that these kinds of situations sometimes develop quickly, leaving little opportunity to notify parents in advance.
"I understood it is out of an abundance of caution," Saba said. "There is no way of knowing."
In Washington, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said the president had been informed of the situation, but that ultimately the decision to close or not to close schools are best left to local law officials.
“I’m not going to stand at this podium and second-guess the decisions made by any law enforcement agency,” Earnest said. “They would know better than* anyone else.”
Bacon reported from McLean, Va. Contributing: Kevin Johnson, Greg Korte, Emily Brown
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L.A. shuts schools; NYC stays open, says threat a 'hoax'

Luke Skywalker

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