LAUSD announces most schools will open this week, amid wildfires

As unprecedented Los Angeles County wildfires burn and smoke fills the air, parents and students on Sunday, Jan. 12, awaited news from Los Angeles Unified School District on whether they will return to classrooms on Monday — most will.

“Tomorrow we will reopen all schools and offices with exception of those schools that remain in a mandatory evacuation zone,” LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said Sunday evening.

LAUSD schools were initially closed on Wednesday, Jan. 8, because of poor air quality from fires. Scores of schools across the area — public, private and parochial — were closed in the midst of the fires.

“We have made the decision to reopen all schools and all offices tomorrow, Jan. 13, at the regular time and hour of operation,” Carvalho said. “However, we will all open all sites based on an inclement weather protocol.”

He said he will be making the final decision at 5 a.m. on Monday morning, but will be staying up all night with some staff members and reviewing weather conditions and any changes to fires.

Open schools will be on a full inclement weather schedule which restricts outdoor and athletics activities, and extensive work has been done on HVAC systems replacing air filters at schools, Carvalho added.

Fires ravaging the area have slowed going into Sunday, including for the Palisades fire, as well as significant gains in containment for the Eaton fire.

The Palisades fire is currently estimated at 23,713 acres and 11% containment, and the Eaton fire at an estimated 14,117 acres — while the containment estimate jumped overnight from 15 to 27%, according to Cal Fire estimates.

Across the county, Sunday morning saw 105,000 people under mandatory evacuation. Upwards of 20 other districts joined LAUSD in closing last week. Some schools have even been destroyed or damaged by the flames.

LAUSD schools in the highest impact areas would remain closed due to mandatory evacuation orders, including Canyon Charter Elementary, Kenter Canyon Charter Elementary, Palisades Charter Elementary, Marquez Charter Elementary, Topanga Charter Elementary, Lanai Road Elementary, and Paul Revere Middle School.

Roscomare Road Elementary and Community Magnet Charter will continue to be monitored as they are in an evacuation warning zone.

“I know tomorrow will not be a standard day,” Carvalho said, with traditional studies to be put on the back burner to allow for processing and discussion of current events. “We might begin the day by speaking honestly and transparently about what we have seen in an honest but age appropriate way with our children.”

“I do not want anyone to feel pressed into reading, mathematics, iReady — none of that matters necessarily tomorrow,” Carvalho said. “Tomorrow is about welcoming individuals back to our school system, creating a level of comfort, of empathy and care for everyone.”

“We will be providing paid time off, up to five days of paid time off … to any employees in our school system, certificated or classified, that may have been relocated, evacuated, or may have lost their home. It is the right thing to do,” Carvalho said, explaining it would come out of the district budget and hopefully be reimbursable through state or federal grant money.

He also said there also would be $500 provided to each employee who was displaced.

“Right now we understand the need and we are stepping up to address the need with our workforce,” he said.

Pasadena Unified School District announced Friday, Jan. 10, that schools will remain closed until Friday, Jan. 17, due to the severe impacts from the Eaton fire.

Arcadia Unified Schools announced Sunday, Jan. 12, that all schools in the district will reopen on Monday, Jan. 13 since air quality has improved. If air quality is poor on Monday and on, outdoor activities will be limited, according to Ryan Foran, Chief Communications Officer for Arcadia Unified School District.

La Cañada Unified School District will be closed until Tuesday, Jan. 14. Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District will keep Malibu schools closed on Monday, Jan. 13.

“Tomorrow is not going to be a normal day,” Carvalho said. “Students, our work force in many instances, will come back having witnessed and experienced a level of destruction without parallel in the history of our community. Therefore we are going into tomorrow with grace, with patience, with empathy, with support, with love, to address the needs of our children, our families and our own workforce.”

Amid the devastation, the district we will be opening a feeding distribution at Webster Middle School Monday from 9 a.m. to noon.

The county Office of Education also launched a Wildfire Recovery Fund, in partnership with the Greater Los Angeles Education Foundation, which will deliver funding to help students, families, and educators impacted by the ongoing fires in the Los Angeles region.

Parents can reach out to their individual schools for more information on the status of closures.

Jarret Liotta contributed to this report0