The Los Angeles Unified School District announced Sunday that it will reopen most schools and all district offices on Monday, Jan. 13, following closures amid deadly wildfires.
Parents across the district began receiving phone calls and email notices shortly after 4 p.m.
“Conditions have improved for a majority of areas across the Los Angeles region and the District is confident it is safe for students and employees to return to campuses,” the notice read and was later posted on the district’s website. “The District remains committed to working with our community partners to provide families and employees with childcare, transportation, mental health resources, and other essential services.”
The following schools will remain closed due to mandatory evacuation orders:
Canyon Charter Elementary, Kenter Canyon Charter Elementary, Palisades Charter Elementary, Marquez Charter Elementary, Topanga Charter Elementary, Lanai Road Elementary, Roscomare Road Elementary, Community Magnet Charter, and Paul Revere Middle School
Officials are closely monitoring Roscomare Road Elementary and Community Magnet Charter which are currently in evacuation warning zones, and stated a decision regarding those schools would be announced no later than 5:30 a.m. Monday.
The district added: “We will be monitoring conditions throughout the evening and overnight. A 10 p.m. update will be posted at lausd.org. Should anything change, we will begin notifying families and employees of any changes by 5:30 a.m. on Monday.”
Open schools, including after-school programs, will operate on a full inclement weather schedule which limits outdoor and athletic activities, the district said, adding that masks will also be available for students and employees.
The announcement comes after educators and parents raised concerns over the district’s response last week following extreme winds that led to wildfires and hazardous air quality.
All Los Angeles Unified schools have been closed since Thursday. On Wednesday, officials announced more than 200 schools in the eastern and central part of the district would shut down after classes were already in session, even though they were not in direct fire danger. About 100 other schools were placed on minimum-day schedules.
A chaotic scene unfolded Wednesday morning in Boyle Heights with long lines of confused parents waiting for their children to be released.
That day, the United Teachers Los Angeles issued a statement criticizing the district for its “delayed response” that “forced students to attend school only to implement closures after they had already arrived at their campuses.”
“Today serves as a stark wake-up call for a new normal,” the statement read.
District officials have not yet responded to Boyle Heights Beat’s request for comment on the evacuation process.
