All Los Angeles Unified School District schools are closed and all students at school were sent home Tuesday morning while authorities investigate a safety threat, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Some Yeshivas and Jewish private schools remained opened, while others closed for the day.
LAUSD has not provided details, but NBC News reports at least one member of the school board received an emailed bomb threat, citing multiple law enforcement sources.
Supt. Ramon Cortines said the closure in the nation’s second-largest school district — which serves 640,000 students — was out of “an abundance of caution” after the LAUSD received what authorities described as an electronic threat Tuesday morning.
“I am not taking a chance of bringing children into a place, into any part of a building, until I know that it’s safe,” Cortines said during a news conference Tuesday morning. “I, as superintendent, am not going to take the chance with the life of a student.”
As of 11:00ET the following was alist of the Jewish schools, and their decisions:
[THIS IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE – YWN WILL UPDATE AS THOSE CHANGES OCCUR]
Valley Torah High School – Opened
Emek – Opened
Toras Emes – Opened
Ohr Eliyahu – Opened
YKLA – Opened
Cheder Menachem – Oepend
Yavneh – Closed
Hillel – Closed
Maimonides – Closed
Yula – Closed
Jewish Montessori – Closed
One reader told YWN that he dropped his so off at the main Frum Yeshiva in Los Angeles, Yeshiva Toras Emmes, and there were two extra armed guards outside the Yeshiva.
The Jewish Federation sent out the following statement:
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The Community Security Initiative (CSI) analysis center is providing the below information for advisory purposes only. Multiple media sources indicate that all schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) have closed this morning, Tuesday December 15, due to an Electronic threat made specifically to LAUSD.
This school closure applies only to LAUSD. CSI has been in contact with our local and federal Law Enforcement partners who state that there is NO information which currently suggests any specific threat to Jewish schools.
CSI will continue to closely monitor the situation and will send further updates when necessary.
Respectfully,
Meanwhile, the following was an email sent out by the LAUSD to school employees:
THERE IS A LEVEL 1 TERRORIST THREAT. Supt. Cortines has ordered that all schools in the District both charter and traditional be closed. Principals are to be on site to support. Plant managers are to walk the campus. Do NOT TOUCH A BACKPACK FOR ANY REASON. If there is anything suspicious call us immediately. I am going to be in the situation room with the Superintendent. Please call if anything suspicious occurs.
Thanks,
Robert C. Perry, Ph.D.
Administrative Coordinator, Charter Schools Division
Los Angeles Unified School District
333 S. Beaudry Ave. 20th Fl. Office 240
http://charterschools.lausd.net
(Chaim Shapiro – YWN)
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5 Responses
This is a ridiculous reaction.
This would never happen in Israel.
Interesting that all the Chareidi schools are open and all the non-Chareidi schools are closed. Torah is our greatest protection.
Jewish Montessori is this tiny little unimportant preschool with a few kids that go there. they shouldnt even be on this list. just an attempt at putting their name in the news.
Amiti – sure it would! In Israel they have an easier time doing terror. But in LA they have to resort to backpacks!
A little overkill. If the threat would be specifically against Jewish schools with possible imminent danger that would be one thing, but a general threat especially that is targeted on the public schools should not deem Jewish schools to close. I agree that Torah study must continue and is our greatest protection.