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From shock to fear to glee: Students respond to Los Angeles school closures

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Students cross Fountain Avenue as they return to Thomas Starr King Middle School in East Hollywood on Wednesday morning.

  (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Students return to Thomas Starr King Middle School in East Hollywood on Wednesday morning.

  (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Tiffany Hooper drops off her 8-year-old daughter Leah Hooper with a hug at Germain Street Elementary School in Chatsworth.

  (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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A skateboarding student passes a Los Angeles School Police cruiser near San Pedro High.  (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
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Students return to Franklin High School in Highland Park on Wednesday, a day after all LAUSD campuses were closed by a threat.

  (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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Los Angeles School Police officers Alex Donoso, left, and Heriberto Valdez at Franklin High School on Wednesday morning as schools reopen after Tuesday’s closure.

  (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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Student board a bus in front of Franklin High School in Los Angeles as schools reopen on Wednesday.

  (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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Sunny Vargas, 16, left, Carlos Bello, 16, and Natalie Matossian, 14, raise flags outside Franklin High School as Los Angeles schools reopened on Wednesday.

  (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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A memorial of candles marks the spot where Andres Perez, 17, of Montebello was struck and killed by a city truck as crossed the street near his school at the corner of Avenue 60 and Figueroa Street in Highland Park.

  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
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L.A. Unifed Police Officer Jose Zamora looks inside a classroom while conducting a safety check at Theodore Roosevelt High School in Los Angeles.

  (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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Los Angeles school police search Breed Street Elementary in Boyle Heights.

  (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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L.A. Unified Police Officers Frank Avelar, left, and Jose Zamora leave Breed Street Elementary after conducting a safety check.

  (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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Shortly after L.A. Unified announced Tuesday’s school closures, a 17-year-old male student was fatally struck by a city service truck while crossing a Highland Park street. The teen was near Avenue 60 and Figueroa Street at about 7:30 a.m. when he was hit, Los Angeles Police Officer Jane Kim said.

  (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)
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A police officer secures the Robert F. Kennedy Learning Center in Los Angeles after an email threat forced the closure of all LAUSD schools on Tuesday.

  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles TImes)
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Elementary schoolchildren play on a snow hill at the Studio City Recreation Center in Studio City. All were from area public and private schools that were closed Tuesday.

  (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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Elementary schoolchildren play on a snow hill at the Studio City Recreation Center in Studio City after all Los Angeles Unified School District campuses and several private schools were closed after a security threat.

  (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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Los Angeles Unified School District Supertintendent Ramon Cortines talks to reporters about the closure of LAUSD campuses.

  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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Venice High School principal Dr. Oryla Wiedoeft talks with 17-year-old twin brothers Michael and Erik Sanchez about the closure of schools in the LAUSD on Dec. 15.

  (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
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Venice High School senior Bernadette Rios, 17, waits for her mother to pick her up after officials closed all LAUSD campuses on Dec. 15.

  (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
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School buses are idle in the LAUSD’s Gardena garage after officials closed all campuses in the district following a “credible threat’ of violence on Dec. 15.

  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
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A Los Angeles School Police officer checks in with officials at the LAUSD’s Gardena garage, where school buses are parked Dec. 15 as officials investigate a threat against the district.

  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
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El Camino Real Charter Academy in Woodland Hills is among the LAUSD campuses closed on Dec. 15.

  (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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El Camino Real Charter Academy freshman Nazanin Nayeri, 15, calls home to be picked up from the Woodland Hills school on Dec. 15 after being informed that classes were canceled due to a threat.

  (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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Ben Gertner, principal of Theodore Roosevelt High School, center; Jose Espinoza, right, principal of Math, Science, Technology Magnet Academy; and a volunteer stand outside locked school gates on Dec. 15.

  (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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Hale Charter Academy Principal Chris Perdigao tells parents that the Woodland Hills campus is closed.

  (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
By Daniela Gerson
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Some students had spent the night studying for exams and could not believe their luck. Others felt disbelief melt into terror.

Students had a variety of responses Tuesday morning after all Los Angeles Unified School District schools were closed because of a bomb threat. Students and staff were directed to stay away from campus.

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We asked how the school closures were impacting students, parents, teachers and administrators. Below are some responses from students.

From finals ready to shock

I didn't even know what to do. I just got off the bus ready to take my final today and felt shocked.

— Ashley Banuelos, student, Animo Jackie Robinson Charter High School

How to escape?

I'm a student and spent my class period thinking about how I would escape my classroom if anything were to happen.

— Wendy Davila, student, North High School

Play some Mario Kart and cuddle with my dog

I was in the shower when I found out. It was about 7:05 AM and I knew I was going to be late to school, but I desperately needed to take a shower. My mom got a phone call from my aunt in Hawthorne asking if I was okay. She said to turn on the news and watch what was happening, so I turned on the KTLA 5 Morning News (my favorite local news source) and watched a press conference with Mr. Cortines. I was relieved that I wasn't going to be late. I have enough to tardiness as it is, so that was great. I also had three tests planned for today so I'm ecstatic to have an extra day of studying. At the same time, this put our school newspaper in jeopardy and I know that come tomorrow morning, our advisor will push us to get the paper finished. I'm going to play some Mario Kart and cuddle with my dog while watching Friends all over again. And I guess I'll fit in studying somewhere there, too.

— Luis Valente, student, South East High School

Finals fantasy or nightmare?

This is finals week, so it felt really unreal. It's the kind of thing that people talk about happening (or in some cases, people even wish would happen), but never actually does, except today it did. It's a strange feeling. This is a terrifying situation.I'm going to study, and wait for the results of my early action college decision to come later today. I'm frustrated that I don't know what finals to study for, the ones that were scheduled for today or tomorrow.

— Cameron Chaleff, student, Grover Cleveland High School

I'm scared

I found out this morning right after waking up. My friend called then and told me there was no school because of the threat. I didn't believe her at first, I didn't want to. So I went to check for myself. Sure enough, there's no school. I was in denial initially. I thought it was a joke my friends were putting me up to. But when I searched LAUSD online and saw the situation, I was in shock. I'm scared, because that just makes future attacks a bigger possibility, but at least I have an extra day to study for finals. I plan on sleeping first because I stayed up all night studying.

— Aria Rose, student, Alexander Hamilton Senior High School

I didn't know if it was a joke

I found out through a friend around 7 in the morning. I didn't believe it at first. I realized it was real when Telemundo had an emergency broadcast. I was very confused at first. I didn't know if this was a joke. I was glad there was no school but after I found out that school was being canceled due to bomb threats, it was no longer a joke.

— Valeria Olmedo, student, Alliance Patti and Peter Neuwirth Leadership Academy

daniela.gerson@latimes.com

Twitter: @dhgerson

MORE ON THE LAUSD THREAT:

All L.A. Unified schools closed by 'credible threat'

What parents need to know

L.A. Unified defends decision to close schools amid criticism

California
Daniela Gerson

Daniela Gerson was a community engagement editor at the Los Angeles Times. She left in 2016. As a journalist and educator, her work focuses on multiethnic communities and innovations in participatory media. She was previously the director of the Civic Engagement and Journalism Initiative at USC’s Annenberg School. Gerson was the founding editor of Alhambra Source, a research-based site investigating how local news can foster civic engagement. She also developed Reporter Corps, a program to train young adults to report on their own communities. Gerson has contributed to the Financial Times Magazine, the New York Times, PRI’s The World, Der Spiegel, WNYC, and was a staff immigration reporter for the New York Sun. Daniela is the recipient of Alexander von Humboldt and Arthur F. Burns fellowships. A graduate of Brown University and USC Annenberg, she speaks Spanish and Portuguese, and can get by in German and Hebrew.

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