Mira Costa, closed due to social media threats, to reopen Thursday [UPDATE]

mira costa baseball — A sports field at Mira Costa High School. File photo

Mira Costa High School was closed for a second day in response to anonymous threats made against the school on social media app Yik Yak.

The threats, which were initially vague, became more serious, with one stating, “Almost every school shooter has left a warning before committing the crime and everyone ignored them, just remember,” according to district officials.

The school plans to reopen tomorrow with security measures in place.

“We look forward to welcoming all students back to campus, but understand that parents/guardians have the right to make an informed decision for their child,” the Manhattan Beach Unified School District said in a press release.

A threat was also made against Redondo Union High School in Redondo Beach, but the school determined that it wasn’t credible and chose to remain open, according to a message on its website. The post said, “I am coming for you too Redondo.”

Yik Yak is an app that allows users to see anonymous posts published by other users within a one-and-a-half-mile radius. It was originally developed for college students to share information in and around campus.

It was also used in the past few days to make threats against a school and the police department in Pleasant Hills, Iowa, according to media reports.

A student at Mira Costa reported the first message to a teacher on Monday morning. It read, “If you go to Costa, you should watch out very closely at school today.”

The school went into lockdown but classes continued. The Manhattan Beach Police Department investigated but found no additional evidence and the lockdown was lifted.

However, the school became aware Monday evening of other messages posted. They read, “nice try Costa, today was just a drill,” “tomorrow at 2 be ready Costa, you’re going on lockdown” and the message about school shooters.

Manhattan Beach Unified School District Superintendent Mike Matthews decided to close Mira Costa High School Tuesday “to provide time to assess the validity” of the threats,” according to the press release.

It remained closed to students Wednesday, although faculty returned to campus to plan for a reopening Thursday.

The school district said that it asked Yik Yak to disable the app within the district’s campuses and configured its Wi-Fi to block access to the app.

Matthews shared his thoughts on the site in a detailed email sent out to the Mira Costa community Wednesday.

“There is no filter,” he wrote of Yik Yak. “People are bullied and made fun of. People try to make jokes. As far as I can see, this is a dangerous site with absolutely no redeeming values.”

Matthews also explained his decision to reopen the campus on Thursday, which he described as a “big decision” that school staff was fully behind.

“I want to thank the Mira Costa staff for meeting into the night on Tuesday night, and fully committing to reopening school on Thursday,” Matthews wrote. “As we reopen Mira Costa on Thursday, I understand that some students will not feel comfortable attending. Please make the parenting decision that is best for your family. I stand behind this decision wholeheartedly. I want to thank the Mira Costa staff for meeting into the night on Tuesday night, and fully committing to reopening school on Thursday. ”

As part of the plan to reopen, the district will have police on its campuses and provide counseling services for students. It asked anyone with additional information to call the Manhattan Beach Police Department at (310) 802-5124.

Update, Nov. 19, 5 p.m.: MBUSD announced that a suspect has been identified:

At 5:00 p.m. today, the Manhattan Beach Police Department announced that they have identified a female
juvenile who is believed to be responsible for at least one of the posts making threats to Mira Costa High
School on the Yik Yak social media application. This juvenile is not a student in the Manhattan Beach Unified
School District, and the MBPD investigation continues to determine if others were involved.
Dr. Michael Matthews, Superintendent of Schools, remarked, “I applaud the identification of this student, as it
should help relieve some of the anxiety felt by our students, parents and employees. But I also know that our
police department is still in the process of investigating this issue.”
The District had already determined that Mira Costa High School would reopen for students on Thursday,
November 20th. Principal Dr. Ben Dale emailed parents earlier this afternoon, informing them of reopening
procedures to maximize safety for all students and staff. Though a suspect has been identified in this case, Dr.
Dale and district officials have decided to move forward with implementation of these procedures developed by
the high school staff when Mira Costa High School reopens tomorrow.
Dr. Matthews noted, “We will continue to be watchful and cautious in our middle and elementary schools as
well. These procedures maximize the safety of our students and serve at the very least as excellent practice
for future incidents in which safety is a concern.”
District administration looks forward to learning more about the results of the investigation conducted by the
Manhattan Beach Police Department. Board of Trustees President Karen Komatinsky stated, “On behalf of the
Board and the entire Manhattan Beach Unified School District community, I thank the Manhattan Beach Police
Department and the Redondo Beach Police Department for their investigation and ongoing efforts on the
behalf of our students, families, and staff.”