Dive Brief:
- The Los Angeles Unified School District closed all 900 of its schools Tuesday after a threat mentioning assault rifles, explosives, and other mayhem was received by a school board member.
- New York also received a threat claiming to be from jihadists, but found it to be generic and outlandish and so determined it was a hoax.
- New York's school system serves close to 1 million students and stretches over 300 square miles. LA's district boundary is more than twice as large, but with about 640,000 students.
Dive Insight:
In the aftermath of the threat being deemed noncredible, much attention is paid to LA closing schools and New York keeping schools open. It is unlikely that a single approach will ever apply to any logistical or procedural plans regarding threats to schools and children. With what happened Dec. 2 in nearby San Bernandino, LA officials said that had to err on the side of caution.
"We are not making a decision about the color of a car or what to eat for dinner," Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said. "This is about the safety of our children."
New York City Police Commissioner William J. Bratton, who worked for seven years as police chief in LA, called the actions in LA "a significant overreaction."
Beck also said criticism of the response is irresponsible, because officials made the best decision they could based on information they had. The common area might be in districts nationwide being able to communicate any threats with each other. The facts that New York officials gleaned may have been of benefit to LA.
