LA School’s were closed today after a “credible threat” was received:
Officials closed all Los Angeles Unified School District campuses Tuesday morning after receiving a "credible threat" of violence involving backpacks and packages left at campuses.
Authorities said they plan a search operation of all the LAUSD's more than 900 schools. The nation's second-largest school district has more than 700,000 students.
LA is, of course, only a few freeway miles from San Bernardino, so it is understandable that officials would be jumpy.
“I think it’s important to take this precaution based on what has happened recently and what has happened in the past,” LAUSD Superintendent Ramon Cortines said.
Fearing the safety of schools and students, Cortines said he couldn’t take a chance, so he asked police to search all campuses, adult school and early education centers before reopening Wednesday.
Officials said the threat came in electronic form and was made to numerous but unspecified campuses. As a result, they made the decision to close them all for the day.
No word on any particular group involved with the threat, ISIS, Al Qaeda, or a creative student who wanted to get out of taking an exam. The reality is that L.A. schools get threats all the time, almost all of which amount to nothing.
For whatever reason, the Superintendent has elected to consider this threat as more serious than the chronic threats that occur every day.
What is perhaps interesting is how this feeds into the Republican presidential debate. No doubt that this debate will focus on terrorism, the Republicans favorite boogey-man. Now, in addition to San Bernardino, Trump and Cruz can point to the latest “threat.”
Not to criticize Superintendent Cortines, who clearly is in a very difficult situation, but this is a clear win for the forces of terror, no matter who emailed the threat. The daily routine of a major American city has been disrupted, parents are in fear, and the media will feature the threat all day long.
And its so easy. Email a bomb threat. A child could do it.