Kayla Knowles
Theme Editor
On Nov. 17, Principal Dr. Ben Dale commenced a “lock-in-place” due to a potential threat that was broadcast through Yik Yak, a social media app that allows users to post thoughts or statements anonymously. The app was developed by two college graduates who intended the app to be used as a networking tool for college students. Yik Yak allows posts to be viewed by anyone within a 1.5-mile radius. Mira Costa staff and the Manhattan Beach Police Department collaborated when the threats were posted in order to take the proper precautions to ensure safety for students and staff members on campus.
“I think that Yik Yak is a cool idea in theory, but you can’t expect everyone to be mature and handle it appropriately,” junior Jackson Kopitz said. “Just knowing that someone made a threat toward Costa is enough for me to think that the app is not a good social media source. It just creates complicated problems that are hard for a staff to solve.”
According to Superintendent Dr. Michael Matthews, a student notified a faculty member of the threats on Nov. 17. Soon after the lock-in-place, Costa faculty and the MBPD were notified. After an hour of the lock-in-place, school resumed with additional campus security. Parents were also notified of the situation and were allowed to pick up their children if they felt that the campus was no longer safe.
“I decided to pick up my daughter from school because I was not comfortable with the situation,” Mira Costa parent Maritza Rivas said.
Costa was placed under a lock-in-place instead of a lockdown in order to gain time to process the information regarding the threat and how to handle the situation. A lock-in-place is different from a lockdown in that students are simply not allowed to move around the campus, and there is no need for students to hide from view, which is listed in the protocol for a lockdown. The time spent in the lock-in-place was used to determine the nature of the threat and to decide whether or not to close school. Due to the lack of specificity and clarity in the threat, school remained open.
“I was sort of scared during the lock-in-place because no one knew what was going on until people started texting each other,” junior Kayla Sugimoto said. “It was also strange because we have never had a lock-in-place place before, and no one was familiar with what it meant and what it entailed.”
After school, an email was sent out saying that classes would be open the next day, and that students could choose not to attend if they felt unsafe with the situation, but that their absences would be unexcused. Later that night, Dale sent out another email informing Costa students and parents that school would be cancelled on Nov. 18 and stating that a follow-up email would be sent out deciding whether school would be re-opening the following day.
“It caused a lot of fear at school,” Dale said. “I have dozens of emails from parents of students and a few faculty members who are afraid of attending school.”
With students out of school, the MBPD and Costa administration used this time to lead an ongoing investigation to uncover who posted the threats. Dale and Matthews sent out another email on Tuesday night closing school for an additional day, Nov. 19.
“I have good reason to believe that the threats are not harmful because of their nonspecific nature,” Dale said.
On Nov. 19, a female juvenile suspect contacted the Manhattan Beach Police Department and took credit for one of the posts. Accodring to detective Mike Rosemberger, the minor attends a school in another district and has been connected to the first post. She was questioned by the authorities but was not taken into custody.
“I think that the threats were fake,” sophomore James Marsh said. “I think it was some kid trying to be funny and play a joke on Costa. I knew people were going to overreact, but I wasn’t one of those people.”
According to Dale, the authorities and school administration are working toward finding the rest of the people involved in the threats. In order to maintain campus safety, safety precautions have been set until further notice, and Yik Yak has been banned on all MBUSD campuses. Mira Costa is also applying for a waiver from the state in order to avoid losing money for the two days that school was closed.
“We are still looking for others who were involved,” School Resource Officer Jesse Garcia said. “This can be a long and time-consuming process, but once we have further information, we will let everyone know.”
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