High school in Manhattan Beach cancels classes after threat

A bomb threat resulted today in the cancellation of classes for the day at Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, police said.

The threat was telephoned to the office of the school, at 701 S. Peck Ave., about 8:15 a.m., said Stephanie Martin of the Manhattan Beach Police Department.

The "non-specific'' threat prompted authorities to evacuate the school and cancel classes for the day as of 9:30 a.m., Martin said.

In an email to parents, Michael Matthews, superintendent of the Manhattan Beach Unified School District, said in part: "As you know, we received an anonymous and vague bomb threat via phone this morning at Mira Costa High School, and we have evacuated students and staff from all classrooms.

"In an abundance of caution, MBPD is preparing to search the entire campus, room by room. Conducting a thorough search of every room on the campus will take a significant amount of time. As a result, we will cancel classes for the remainder of the day. ... Your children are safe. ...''

Efforts were underway to search the campus, a process that could take several hours, Martin said.

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