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L.A. Schools Close After Threats: Chaos on Social Media, as America’s Second Biggest District Locks Down

As Los Angeles families were waking up and sending their kids off to school early Tuesday morning, The Los Angeles Times reports that city officials were racing to put more than 900 Los Angeles Unified School District locations on lockdown after receiving a “credible threat” of violence.
The school closures and city-wide announcements began after a threat involving multiple campuses was sent electronically to a school district board member this morning — announcements that quickly sparked chaos among parents and educators as more than 600,000 kids were effectively told to stay home at the last minute. Many Los Angelenos took to social media to investigate the threat, vent their fears and search for answers; within minutes, the hashtag #LAUSD was trending nationally on Twitter. Below, a quick survey of the confusion, anxiety and chaos that follows the sudden closure of America's second biggest school district:

For the district, the second largest public school system in the nation, closing with short notice was no easy task, forcing schools to call and text students and parents to let them know school was cancelled.

They were quickly followed by news of the potential closure.

And panic from those who were making sure their friends and families were safe.

Some kids made it out to their school bus stop, waiting for a bus that didn't come.

Parents, not expecting to see their kids before this afternoon, expressed fear and concern.

School officials tried their best to alert parents who didn't know what was happening as they pulled up outside closed schools.

For students ready to take pre-holiday tests, the closure couldn't have come at a worse time. 

Those students who did make it to school had one option to get home thanks to LA's Metro.

Even before a live press conference at 9 a.m. PDT, many across the country questioned LAUSD's choice to close, none bigger than NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton, who said New York City received a similar threat that was deemed a prank.

It isn't clear if schools will reopen on Dec. 16.

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