Officials declare campus all clear

By Lizzy Tsuang

Executive News Editor

Manhattan Beach Police Department completed the nearly four hour long search process of the Mira Costa campus at approximately 2:30 p.m. today and found no suspicious items following the evacuation of students and staff due to an anonymous bomb threat, Manhattan Beach Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Michael Matthews stated in an email sent to all MBUSD families.

The search consisted of of nine canine units and over 80 law enforcement and emergency personnel. Officials from different agencies aided MBPD in the search effort, including the Manhattan Beach Fire Department; Coast Guard members; and officials from the Beverly Hills Police Department, Port of Los Angeles Police Department, Long Beach Police Department and Hawthorne Police Department.

In the midst of MBPD’s investigation this afternoon, representatives briefed MBUSD officials at its temporary command center, located across the street from Costa at Hope Chapel. There, Matthews and Executive Director of Education Services Carolyn Seaton met with MBPD Chief Eve Irvine and other leads who predicted that there was little possibility of finding evidence of a bomb.

In a second meeting with MBPD, officials declared the campus all clear and informed Matthews and Seaton of potential suspects for the anonymous phone call. After the completion of the search, Matthews then decided to open school tomorrow.

“Once that person or those people are determined, we’ll work together regarding the next step,” Seaton said.

School will be open tomorrow, and MBPD will be present on campus and the surrounding area throughout the night and into the morning before zero period tomorrow to ensure students’ safety. Seaton said that MBPD is currently not planning on having police presence throughout the day, but their presence will depend on the need as perceived by students and staff.

Students were allowed back on campus at 3:30 p.m. today to collect material that may have been left behind during the evacuation this morning. Costa security guards and law enforcement officials were stationed throughout the campus to open classrooms for students as they arrived.

Due to lost class time today, the school day may have to be made up at the end of the school year in June, Costa principal Dr. Ben Dale said in an email sent to all Costa parents. Dale plans to contact the State in order to confirm the schedule.

“We are fully confident that our students and staff will be safe at Mira Costa tomorrow,” Seaton said. “Our number one priority is student safety, followed very closely by staff safety. We take all these threats very seriously.”