2 Manhattan Beach schools close after social media threat

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- Two schools in Manhattan Beach were closed Tuesday after a suspected threat was posted on Yik Yak, a social media app that allows users to post anonymously.

A student discovered the online threat against Mira Costa High School, which stated: "If you go to Costa you should watch out very closely at school today."

The campus was placed on lockdown Monday while Manhattan Beach police and school officials investigated the threat.

A second anonymous message was later posted in the afternoon: "nice try costa, today was just a drill."

Mira Costa High was initially going to be kept open, but by late Monday, officials decided to shut down the school. Students and parents were notified.

In a statement issued Tuesday night, Mira Costa High Principal Ben Dale said: "With the proper plan in place we will be ready for students to return on Thursday."

Dale added that school officials are expected to put out a plan by Wednesday morning "outlining orderly entry and exit, increased security and police presence, available counseling, what students will be allowed to bring and carry, and what movement will be allowed on campus during class time."

The Montessori School of Manhattan Beach's Peck campus, located nearby at 315 South Peck Ave., was also closed Tuesday as a precautionary measure.

Developers of Yik Yak say the app is not intended for young kids. The service allows users to remain anonymous and reach other users within a 1.5-mile radius.

After widespread complaints nationwide about cyber bullying, Yik Yak now reportedly uses GPS technology to disable the app when users are on the campus of a middle school or high school. If that feature was working, it would imply that the person who posted the Mira Costa threats didn't post them while on campus.

Yik Yak could not be reached for comment.

"They are thought of as having a lot of harmful content, a lot of cyber bullying and sort of malicious gossip, so they need to control that," said Karen North, a psychologist and social media expert.

No arrests have been made and an investigation was ongoing. Anyone with information was asked to call officials at (310) 802-5140.