LAUSD and other school districts closed Friday

All Los Angeles Unified School District schools (LAUSD) and campuses in several other districts will remain closed today as fierce winds continue to fan a series of wildfires.

LAUSD schools were closed on Thursday due to various fires and poor air quality. Around midday Thursday, the district announced that it would keep campuses closed on Friday.

“The confluence of factors -- wind, fire and smoke -- have created unpredictable, complex situations that present potentially unsafe conditions for our school communities,'' according to a district statement. “Select essential personnel will be contacted by their supervisors regarding potential work duties. As the Los Angeles region continues responding to this unprecedented crisis, the health and safety of our students and employees are of the utmost importance.”

The district will again distribute meals for students on Friday but will double the number of distribution sites to 16. The distribution will occur from 8 to 11 a.m. Friday at:

• North region: Mulholland Middle School, Sepulveda Middle School, San Fernando Middle School, Richard E. Byrd Middle School;

• East region: Hollenbeck Middle School, South Gate High School, Los Angeles Academy Middle School, John H. Liechty Middle School;

• South region: Fremont High School, Harry Bridges Span School, Edwin Markham Middle School, Barack Obama Global Preparation Academy; and

• West region: Marina Del Rey Middle School, Sonia Sotomayor Arts and Sciences Magnet, Berendo Middle School, Fairfax High School.

All schools in the Glendale Unified School District, Burbank Unified School District, La Cañada Unified School District and the Pasadena Unified School District will also be closed on Friday, along with schools in the Alhambra, South Pasadena, San Marino, Arcadia and Monrovia school districts. All schools in the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District will also be closed Friday.

Colleges closed

UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk said the university will “curtail campus operations, cancel undergraduate classes and move graduate courses to remote instruction'' on Friday. Frenk said that while there is no fire danger to the campus, given an unexpected change in the wind patterns, school officials anticipate the air quality in Westwood to worsen.

The Pasadena City College campus will be closed through Sunday, according to a notice on its website, which said that operations are suspended and classes are canceled until that time.

Caltech advised online that it was closed Thursday, but intends to resume operations Friday, pending assessments of the situation. Although the campus is not under direct threat from local fires, “gusty winds and smoky air continue to impact the campus,” and hundreds of Caltech staff, faculty, and non-resident students have been affected, the school stated.