This article was updated to include information about LAUSD’s plan to keep schools open on Tuesday, Feb. 6.
Although senior Josiah Lands, who takes the public bus to get to school every morning, attended school today, he found that coming to school today wasn’t necessary and the downpour from the atmospheric river storm was a major inconvenience.
“I got really wet and the buses were taking longer than usual so I was almost late to school,” Lands said. “The flash flood warnings brought a layer of discomfort because it’s not only scary if there was a flood but how soaked I would be getting to school.”
After the rain started over the weekend, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) decided to keep schools open on Monday despite heavy rain, flood warnings and the state’s emergency declaration the night before. All around campus, leaks have been found in classrooms and hallways, leaving staff scrambling to find quick fixes to prevent flooding and safety risks. The multiple flash flood warnings from the night before and from the morning of led people to worry about whether matters would worsen or lighten up since the rain is projected to continue until Tuesday or Wednesday.
“I don’t think they should keep the schools open because it can be dangerous and mostly because the roofs are leaking,” freshman Lia Manukyan said. “In some places like where I live the rain is a lot, so it can be dangerous for cars because they can get stuck.”
Psychiatric Social Worker JoAnne Tuell understands that some students see school as a safe place but believes it wasn’t the smartest decision to open up schools in terms of safety for students and staff coming to school.
“I personally get scared of flash flood warnings,” Tuell said. “But as we can see from the low attendance today, a lot of people chose to stay off the roads since city officials were telling people to stay off the roads.”
Though the school is open, many students and staff chose not to attend. A total of 116 students attended school and two teachers were absent today due to rain-related issues, leaving faculty to find replacements and substitute teachers. Many students either decided to stay home or their parents kept them home to avoid commuting in the rain.
“My mom didn’t want to drive me to school because of all the traffic and rain,” freshman Zarina Martirosya. “She (her mom) also heard that there were going to be mudslides happening.”
Martirosyan spent the day in bed and planned to check on her classwork on Schoology in the afternoon.
“I hate it because I’m lonely and my mom is at work and my brother’s doing online college,” she said.
Others found that the rain didn’t heavily affect their commute and understood why the district chose to leave schools open. School Climate Advocate Magaly Ruiz shared how she would rather be at home on a rainy day but understands that the decision was made to help those without other options.
“I understand the reason that they’re giving is that for some kids, the only time they get to eat is at school,” Ruiz said. “I know that there are many kids that have parents who work and wouldn’t have anyone to be at home with. So I understand that they did it for safety reasons.”
LAUSD has announced that all but two of its campuses will remain open tomorrow, Feb. 6. Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho made the assurance that campuses will continue to be monitored to ensure student and faculty safety.
Staff Writer Emma Rosenberg and Jaime Heuer-Jones contributed to this story.
