Junior Kaleigh Tapaoan felt anxious as wildfires erupted across Southern California, threatening homes and air quality.
“I’ve been worried and have been alert about it for the past day,” Tapaoan said. “It’s concerning how you can smell hints of smoke in the air and living in a household that is prone to asthma makes it worse for my family.”
On Tuesday morning, multiple strong wildfires broke out across Southern California affecting residents through the destruction of property and rapidly declining air quality. The three major wildfires are the Palisades Fire, the Eaton Fire and the Hurst Fire, which have burned thousands of acres, destroyed numerous buildings and caused five civilian deaths. The cause of these fires is unknown and currently under investigation. According to the National Weather Service, strong, high-speed winds from 70 to 90 mph contribute to fueling the flames.
While many schools, including Daniel Pearl Magnet High School (DPMHS), were open on Tuesday, the school district announced Wednesday afternoon that all schools and offices will be closed on Jan. 9. The district will evaluate the situation during the next 24 hours to determine the possibility of online learning on Jan. 10.
On Jan. 8, the Los Angeles Unified School District released a statement in the morning saying that any outdoor activities are canceled due to hazardous air quality conditions. Individuals with respiratory issues or other health conditions were recommended to stay at home.
In response to the announcement, United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA) released a statement expressing their concern over schools remaining open during the wildfires.
“It is unacceptable that the nation’s second-largest school district has demonstrated a delayed and inadequate response to this crisis,” UTLA stated on the @utlanow Instagram on Jan. 8. “The safety and health of our community must be LAUSD’s primary consideration. We urge the district to take the necessary actions before conditions worsen further.”
DPMHS remained open, operating on a rainy day schedule. However, only 85 of 180 students were in attendance. According to a message sent to parents at noon, DPMHS was planned to continue being open until further notice. The school would also keep students indoors and offer masks to anyone who needed them.
Principal Armen Petrossian declined to comment.
Other schools in the area, including Birmingham Community Charter High School (BCCHS) were closed due to staffing shortages. All sports have been cancelled for today, including no practice.
Sophomore Andrea Arosemena, who plays on the BCCHS junior varsity girls basketball team, expressed her disappointment due to the news.
“It was disappointing because I was ready to play,” Arosemena said. “I was excited for today’s game and everything. Then when I got the message that it was cancelled, I was kind of bummed out.”
Besides BCCHS, other schools in the San Fernando Valley have implemented emergency measures due to the fires. Cleveland Charter High School students were dismissed early and High Tech Los Angeles Charter High School canceled classes for the day.
Due to the damage caused by the fires, evacuations were issued in affected areas like Sylmar, Santa Monica and Altadena. Freeways have also been closed to prevent further damage such as Topanga Canyon Boulevard, Southbound PCH and any westbound lanes on I-210.
“I skipped school today because I didn’t think it was in my best safety to be at school right now and I think the fact that (the district) still had their schools open is absurd,” senior Gracie Huaman said. “You don’t know where people live, what their situations are. It’s not like everyone goes to school in their areas. Some people commute here and there are honestly more important things to be worried about.”
Satenik Ayrapetyan, Jasmine Thompson, Andrew Pulido and Alex Salcedo contributed to the reporting of this article.
