Los Angeles schools closed due to possible threat

Los Angeles police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation were notified of the threat and were investigating, officials said.

“Based on past circumstance, I could not take the chance”, Los Angeles School Superintendent Ramon Cortines said at a news conference.

“We and until it is deemed safe by law enforcement and concurred by our district officials, which we believe will be able to occur by the end of this day”, the Superintendent said.

“Earlier this morning we did receive an electronic threat that mentions the safety of our schools”, said Steven Zipperman, head of the LA school police department.

The LAUSD includes over 900 schools and over 700,000 students.

The threat, the NY officials said, came in the form of a “generic” email to many cities around the country. They’ve all since been asked to go home or, in the case of children, stay under an adult’s watch until someone can come get them.

Officials announced at a press conference on Tuesday that they received an electronic threat and were still analysing it.

“But decisions have to be made in a matter of minutes”.

Cortines said the district police chief informed him about the threat shortly after 05:00.

He declined to describe the nature of the threat.

He called for all schools to be searched Tuesday to ensure they were safe for students to return to on Wednesday.

The White House says the different reactions taken by the nation’s two largest public school systems after receiving threats show that local first-responders are responsible for protecting their communities.

The threat sent school buses back from their routes to the depots. It has more than 640,000 students from kindergarten through the 12th grade.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said he would not second-guess the decisions made in Los Angeles or NY.

Mayor Eric Garcetti noted how the San Bernardino attack had changed the dynamic in Southern California.

The San Bernardino attack and other recent mass shootings have pushed militant Islam and gun violence to the forefront of the United States presidential campaign.