All LAUSD schools closed Thursday. Wildfires continue to expand

All LAUSD schools will be closed Thursday due to the rapidly moving wildfires causing hazardous air quality and, in some instances, dangerous conditions, said Superintendent Alberto Carvalho.

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) closed about 100 out of the 1000 schools Wednesday to protect the workforce and students. However, the situation has worsened. There are additional wildfires, including one in the Hollywood Hills, known as the Sunset fire, that has burned about 20 acres and the Lidia fire in the Acton area that burned about 80 acres. 

“[The closure] applies not only to k-12 centers, it also applies to early education centers, career and technical centers as well as adult education centers,” said Carvalho during a press conference Wednesday afternoon.

He said the Beyond the Bell activities and child care services will also be suspended on Thursday.

The superintendent said education will be pivoting 100% to a continuity of learning model with virtual resources available. At around 4 p.m. on Thursday, LAUSD will decide what the day will look like on Friday.

“I want to add that, unfortunately, the unthinkable has happened. We’ve lost two elementary schools providing education services to over 700 students in the Palisades area,” said Carvalho.

The schools completely destroyed are Marquez Elementary and Palisades Elementary. Meanwhile, 30% of Palisades Charter High School has been destroyed.

“We were on-site and cannot believe what we were witnessing,” said Carvalho, adding that they are prepared to relocate the affected students to provide a continuation of their education services.  

Families in need of food for students

Carvalho said they are concerned about families who rely on schools for their food needs, as children have breakfast and lunch at schools. Therefore, they have activated eight different centers for food distribution through a grab-and-go process from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. District families may stop by and walk into any of the following locations to receive two meals per student. 

• North: Mulholland Middle School, Sepulveda Middle School

• East: Hollenbeck Middle School, South Gate High School

• South: Fremont High School, Harry Bridges Span School

• West: Marina Del Rey Middle School, Sonia Sotomayor Arts and Sciences and Magnet

Mental Health Support Services 

LAUSD students and families needing mental health support are encouraged to call the Student and Family Wellness Resource Line at (213) 241-3840. Support is available between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. Employees may access the Employee Assistance Service for Education (EASE) by visiting https://www.lausd.org/domain/1438 or calling the 24/7 support line at 800-882-1341.

Additional school districts in LA County will remain closed Thursday and Friday due to the fires. These include the Glendale Unified School District, Burbank Unified School District, La Cañada Unified School District and the Pasadena Unified School District.  

The Santa Monica Malibu, Alhambra, South Pasadena, San Marino, Arcadia and Monrovia unified school districts will be closed Thursday. 

Sunset fire

The Sunset Fire erupted around 5:30 p.m. in an area near Solar and Astral drives, and crews on the scene reported the blaze was moving quickly uphill and rapidly threatening homes.

The blaze was initially estimated at 20 acres but was growing rapidly.

Mandatory evacuation orders were issued for a sprawling area between Laurel Canyon Boulevard and the Hollywood 101 Freeway, from Mulholland Drive on the north to Hollywood Boulevard on the south.

Los Angeles Fire Department crews are requesting the closure of Hollywood Boulevard between La Brea Avenue and Crescent Heights Boulevard as crews battle the Sunset Fire. The Los Angeles Zoo will remain closed on Thursday.

Additionally, the Lidia fire erupted early Wednesday afternoon in the area of Soledad Canyon Road and Bootleggers Canyon. It initially burned about 50 acres of vegetation but had increased to about 80 acres as of 4:30 p.m. with 30% containment. It is threatening structures and halting Metrolink service.

 With CNS information