Bomb Threat Shuts Down All Schools in LA

Students in Los Angeles have no school today for the worst of reasons: a bomb threat. Police say the Los Angeles United School District received a "credible threat" involving backpacks and packages left at schools, reports the Los Angeles Times. "I think it’s important to take this precaution based on what has happened recently and what has happened in the past," said Superintendent Ramon Cortines, referring in part to the nearby massacre in San Bernardino. All schools were being searched, and the FBI was assisting.

"We need the cooperation of the whole of Los Angeles today," says school board President Steve Zimmer. "We need families and neighbors to work together with our schools and with our employees." Few details about the warning were released, but it was received electronically and reportedly threatened many schools without naming any, reports KTLA. Cortines said he would make a statement later in the day about whether schools would reopen on Wednesday. With 640,000 students and more than 900 schools, the district is the second largest in the nation, notes the AP. (More Los Angeles stories.)