Update: Superintendent Dr. Michael Matthews said that MBPD “has determined that there is no threat on campus” in an email sent to employees at 2:38 p.m. on Dec. 14.
“Our goal is to minimize any further disruption to learning caused by the unacceptable and irresponsible actions of the past week,” Matthews wrote. “We will, of course, continue to put student and staff safety first, and will take whatever measures are necessary to do so. Â That said, we will also do everything possible to keep school in session and students on a normal schedule. Â We are examining what we will have to do to make up the lost instructional time from both today and the incidents last week.
I know that you share in my feelings of anger and frustration at these ongoing attempts to disrupt our students’ learning and our daily lives.  MBPD and the FBI are committed to continuing their investigation, and we will do whatever is in our power to support them in the identification and prosecution of those responsible.”
Original article:
Manhattan Beach police were searching the campus of Mira Costa High School Monday a little after noon in response to a voicemail containing a threat to the school.
The school’s news site, the Mustang Morning News, tweeted a screenshot of an email from Principal Ben Dale.
“Students are in a shelter in place, meaning they will be in classrooms, safe with their teachers, until we have concluded our search,” Dale wrote.
The school was shut down twice last week after a bomb threat was made on Monday and a “specific email threat” was made on Friday.
Superintendent Dr. Michael Matthews sent out the following email at 1:01 p.m.:
Dear MBUSD Parents/Guardians,
A few moments ago we heard a voicemail message that contained a threat to Costa.  We were able to work with MBPD to determine next steps very quickly.  Initially, we asked students and staff to stay in classrooms while MBPD evaluated the scope of the threat.  Based on their assessment, students have been released to a controlled area during lunch while MBPD searches and clears the remaining areas of the campus in question.  This process should not take long, and we believe it is very likely that we will be able to verify that the entire campus is safe and continue the day of learning for our students.  As you know, safety is our highest priority as well as the highest priority of MBPD, and we are confident that they are taking every precaution to ensure that our students and staff are safe.
We are grateful to have MBPD’s support and assistance.  We will continue to follow their guidance and will be in touch with more information as it becomes available.  As with our previous situations, we continue to ask that if you become aware of any information that might be beneficial to us in investigating the source of these disruptions to teaching and learning, please share it with the Manhattan Beach Police Department.
Sincerely,
Mike Matthews,
Superintendent
Manhattan Beach Unified School District
