Although the anonymous threats posted on the social media application Yik Yak were vague in nature, the administration executed its response as effectively as one could given the circumstances and took the necessary steps to make students feel more comfortable on their return to school, although not all of the outlined procedures were fully implemented.
As soon as Costa Principal Dr. Ben Dale received the information regarding the threats, he took the appropriate action by implementing a lock-in-place, in which students and teachers could not leave the classroom. A lock-in-place was more suitable in this situation than a lock-down because the original post was not classified as a criminal threat by the Manhattan Beach Police Department.
Although some parents complained that they were not immediately alerted, the administration correctly followed school procedures, notifying students and staff over the loudspeaker and through emails. Notifying parents before the administration determined a course of action would have created unnecessary panic.
According to Costa’s temporary school resource officer, Jesse Garcia, the Manhattan Beach Police Department immediately contacted Yik Yak to investigate the threats, but the company requested a court order due to the threat’s vague nature. Although they followed procedure for a non-criminal threat, instead of requiring a court order, Yik Yak should immediately supply this information to schools in any threatening situation.
After receiving the court order, Yik Yak gave MBPD the users’ Internet Protocol addresses, and MBPD then had to request another court order to find out who the IP addresses belonged to from the internet provider. According to MBPD Detective Mike Rosenberger, this process is ongoing, but some IP adresses are untraceable because not all companies keep a log of this information.
If police are unable to trace the source, they will have to close the investigation. To prevent future harassers from escaping criminal charges, Yik Yak should employ more regulations within the app, making users easier to track.
According to Garcia, on the Thursday and Friday students returned to school, he and another uniformed officer were on campus while four to six officers in cars patrolled around campus throughout the day. Garcia believes that the police presence was adequate based on the vague nature of the threats and the police’s assessment of the level of danger on campus.
Both Dale and the majority of students surveyed felt that there was enough police presence to ensure the safety of students, and over 70 percent of the 100 students surveyed said it would not feel more comfortable if the added police presence became permanent. Costa should focus on increasing internal security, which the majority of students surveyed were in favor of, rather than increasing police.
Dale stated in his initial email around 8:30 p.m. Nov. 17 that school would re-open with full confidence the following day, but he sent a follow-up email at 10:30 p.m. notifying students and parents about the cancellation of school.
Although the proximity between these emails may have caused confusion or frustration, the district’s subsequent decision was justifiable. Dale and the district’s frequent updates to their security plans demonstrated their commitment to safety, and their actions at each time were appropriate based on the changing circumstances.
The administration held a meeting with Costa staff on Nov. 18. The meeting was crucial in creating a collaborative environment to decide to shut down school on Nov. 19 and ensure that faculty would be comfortable upon its return.
There were no new specific threats that warranted school to remain closed on Nov. 19, but it was vital to have a day in which administrators could communicate with staff and MBPD in order to create a safety plan and ensure a smooth transition during students’ return to school. The administration was right in prioritizing students’ well-being despite the inconvenience and possible loss of funds that comes from canceling a day of school.
Although Dale publicized an outline of safety procedures to parents in an e-mail on Nov. 19, the majority of surveyed students did not feel that the school’s crisis response team, composed of faculty, MBPD, and security, fully implemented the outlined safety procedures.
According to Dale, it was the crisis response team’s intention to search all backpacks, but according to the students surveyed, 60 percent of students did not get their backpacks checked on Nov. 20 and 21, demonstrating the administration’s failure to fully implement the intended safety procedures. The outline should have been strictly adhered to align with student and community expectations.
Additionally, Dale sent emails to parents that were unclear as to whether or not students who did not feel comfortable returning to school would receive excused or unexcused absences. According to Dale, students who did not return on Nov. 20 and 21 received unexcused absences.
Students who did not feel safe returning on Nov. 20 and 21 should instead receive an excused absence because of the fear surrounding this immediate time period and the fact that MBPD has not finished the investigation completely.
According to Dale, the crisis response team continues to address security on a day-to-day basis using feedback from MBPD, and he has requested two additional security staff members to be hired specifically to patrol the west side of campus.
Security should continue to keep the four entry points limited and continue using lanyard hall passes to create a more systematic approach to campus security. This situation should lead to permanent security changes, and these threats should not desensitize the student body.
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