How easy is it to shut down the second largest school system in the country and keep hundreds of thousands of employees from their jobs?

If you answered "pretty easy" you win, but there's no prize here.

Terrorism is a criminal act that influences an audience beyond the immediate victim. The threat against Los Angeles Unified School District - hoax or not - is a terroristic threat and it is a criminal act.

The United States Department of Defense defines terrorism as “the calculated use of unlawful violence or threat of unlawful violence to inculcate fear; intended to coerce or to intimidate governments or societies in the pursuit of goals that are generally political, religious, or ideological.”

Within this definition, there are three key elements—violence, fear, and intimidation—and each element produces terror in its victims.

The FBI uses this definition: "Terrorism is the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives."

The U.S. Department of State defines terrorism to be "premeditated politically-motivated violence perpetrated against non-combatant targets by sub-national groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience".

Given this, we saw two vastly different responses to perceived threats:

"These threats are made to promote fear. ... We cannot allow us to raise the levels of fear,"

New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton, Twitter account

Update 12/15/2015 4:02 EST

The threat that prompted Los Angeles Unified School District officials to close all schools Tuesday appears to be a hoax, a U.S. congressman on the House Intelligence Committee said.

"The preliminary assessment is that it was a hoax or something designed to disrupt school districts in large cities. The investigation is ongoing as to where the threat originated from and who was responsible," Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) said in a statement.

Another local congressman, Brad Sherman, said the person who sent an email threat to several Los Angeles Unified School board members claimed to be "an extremist Muslim who has teamed up with local jihadists," according to Rep. Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks).

"The email makes relatively specific and wide-ranging threats to Los Angeles schools," said Sherman, a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

"The text of the email does not demonstrate that the author has studied Islam or has any particular understanding of Islam," he added. The only thing known, Sherman said, was that the email was "sent by an evil person.

Hoax or not, when do you allow children back in your school?

On 12/15/2015, all Los Angeles Unified Schools shut their doors for the day due to a 'credible threat of violence' involving backpacks and packages left at campuses.

Officials said: "... the threat came in electronic form and was made to numerous but unspecified campuses. As a result, they made the decision to close all campuses for the day."

Later reports indicated an email was sent to a board member issuing the threat.

As the nation's second-largest school district, the closing affected more than 900 schools and nearly 700,000 students, not including staff.

The threat came just two weeks after the San Bernardino shootings, which left 14 people dead; and almost two years to the date of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

LAUSD Superintendent, Ramon Cortines, made the executive decision to close all schools as a precautionary measure.

"I think it's important to take this precaution based on what has happened recently and what has happened in the past. We get threats all the time. This was a rare threat."

Cortines asked officials to search all campuses, adult school and early-education centers prior to re-opening Wednesday morning.

Due to the threat occurring before the school day started, most students were not on the campuses. Any student that was on campus were supervised until parents picked them up (providing proper ID).

LAPD Assistant Chief Jorge Villegas ensured officials were taking the threat seriously. "Nothing is [more] important to us than the safety of our kids, especially those that are coming to and from school that haven't been notified yet."

Parents were notified of the closing in various ways including a mass text alert at 7:22 a.m. PST stating "Do not send your child to school. Please watch the news for further updates." Radio stations and social media channels spread the word of the mass-school closing as well.

Possible Repercussions

There is no "right" decision here:  armchair quarterbacking is not helpful.

Although vague, the threat could have contained detail leaving Superintendent Cortines no choice other than to shut everything down.

One thing we did learn was how easy it is to shut down the Los Angeles Unified School District. A simple email threat closed down a school district with more than 900 schools, 700,000 students and nearly 30,000 teachers.

As a result, the district could see an increase in threats, foreshadowing a larger issue: hoax or not, when do you allow student back in your school?

Sending children back to school a day after a threat may not be the best tactic. Today could have been a test for a real attack tomorrow. Terrorists know they can shut down schools temporarily, but they also know the district cannot shut down forever.

People want to terrorize our country. Where do they start? At vulnerable points: our school systems are behind the curve in terms of being prepared for terrorist events. They are targets. Therefore, we must do our due diligence and educate our schools on prevention and preparedness.

Widespread Impacts

Today's school closure had a profound impact on many.

"...the impact of the last-minute closure was expected to ripple through the city, as thousands of working parents were forced to attend to their children or find backup care."

NBC News

Family Trumps Work 

Every family needs to have a plan if a child's school does close. A school closure is a realistic possibility caused by an array of events - weather, fire, violence, etc. Have a plan A and a plan B if your child's school closes. If you are prepared at home, it's much easier to be prepared in the workplace. Remember, family trumps work; always. 

Extra Sources:

LAUSD homepage

LAUSD Twitter Account

LA Times

NBC News