On Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015, students of the second largest school district in the U.S. were told to stay home after officials received a credible threat involving many of the schools. According to Reuters, the threat included several schools and was not isolated to just one or two. Ramon Cortines, Superintendent of the Schools, held a news conference just after the schools began to open to announce the closure and to say, “I am not taking the chance of taking children any place into the building until I know it’s safe.” According to NBC News, a bomb threat was received via email by the school board.

The district has an enrollment of over 640,000 students and is comprised of primary, to high schools totaling 1,200 locations. Closing the schools is necessary while authorities have the required time to search for and clear the properties of any risks.

The threat comes just under two weeks since a shooting in San Bernardino, California carried out by Islamic militants, took the lives of 14 people, just 60 miles away. If there has been a threat to any institution outside of the Los Angeles schools, officials have not made that information public.

By Jireh Gibson

Sources:

Reuters: Los Angeles closes schools for 643,000 students after threat
NBC News: Los Angeles Unified School District Shuts Schools After Bomb Threat: Sources
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