Crisis counselors were called in and security was beefed up on Wednesday to Los Angeles Unified School District schools a day after an apparent bogus bomb threat shut down about 900 schools in the nation's second-largest school district.
Los Angeles police Chief Charlie Beck and Sheriff Jim McDonnell said all their personnel will be in uniform Wednesday and patrols will be stepped up around LAUSD campuses to help allay any uneasiness among students and parents.
"As you know, LA Unified always puts student safety first," LAUSD Chief Deputy Superintendent Michelle King said in a statement after the schools reopened. "I want to reassure students, parents, guardians, teachers and other employees that our schools are safe."
In addition to the deployment of crisis counselors, "teachers have been provided lesson plans on how to help youngsters who may feel a little anxious or afraid" today, King added.
LAUSD and New York City schools received similar threats that were later deemed not credible. New York officials did not close their schools.
The threat was emailed to LAUSD and mentioned explosive devices and weapons, according to the district and authorities. Several members of the school board received the threat as well, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said.
A preliminary investigation suggested the threat — and the one sent to New York City schools — was a hoax, according to a statement from Rep. Adam Schiff, the ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
U.S. & World
School police said the FBI was notified of the LAUSD threat, which the federal agency analyzed.
Beck and Mayor Eric Garcetti defended Cortines' decision to order a district-wide closure.
Parents returned their children to school on Wednesday, with some expressing concern about not receiving notice about the school closures sooner.
Tiffany Miles, a parent of an LAUSD student, said the district's reaction was appropriate, but also said she didn't receive a robocall form the district until 10:50 a.m. on Tuesday.
"It's bananas. That's unacceptable. That's just unacceptable," she said.
At Carpenter Elementary School in Hollywood, school officials were expected to be available to address questions and discuss how information is disseminated if a similar threat happens in the future.
Toni Guinyard contributed to this report.
