Many Los Angeles Schools Seeking Places to Hold Classes After Fires Scorch Campuses
Thousands of Students Displaced, Educators Scramble to Find New Locations and Keep Up Learning
Days after losing her home in the same fire that destroyed her Los Angeles elementary school, third-grader Gabriela Chevez-Muñoz resumed classes this week at another campus temporarily hosting children from her school. She arrived wearing a t-shirt that read "Pali" – the nickname for her Pacific Palisades neighborhood – as signs and balloons of dolphins, her school’s mascot, welcomed hundreds of displaced students.
"It feels kind of like the first day of school," Gabriela said. She said she had been scared by the fires but that she was excited to reunite with her best friend and give her hamburger-themed friendship bracelets.
Gabriela is among thousands of students whose schooling was turned upside down by wildfires that ravaged the city, destroying several schools and leaving many others in off-limits evacuation zones.
Educators Scramble to Find New Locations and Keep Up Learning
Educators across the city are scrambling to find new locations for their students, develop ways to keep up learning, and return a sense of normalcy as the city grieves at least 27 deaths and thousands of destroyed homes from blazes that scorched 63 square miles (163 square kilometers) of land.
Gabriela and 400 other students from her school, Palisades Charter Elementary School, started classes temporarily Wednesday at Brentwood Science Magnet, about 5 miles (8 kilometers) away. Her school and another decimated Palisades elementary campus may take more than two years to rebuild, Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said.
Temporary Relocations and Online Learning
Students from seven other LAUSD campuses in evacuation zones are also temporarily relocating to other schools. Many schools have held off on resuming instruction, saying their focus for now has been healing, and trying to restore a sense of community. Some are organizing get-togethers and field trips to keep kids engaged in activities and with each other as they look for new space.
Challenges and Concerns
Between 1,200 and 2,000 students in Pasadena Unified School District are known to be displaced, but the number could be as high as 10,000 based on heat maps of where families lived, district Superintendent Elizabeth Blanco said Thursday. The district aims to reopen some schools by the end of next week and have all students back in classrooms by the end of the month.
Some schools are passing on online learning altogether. "We all did COVID. We did online instruction. We saw the negative impacts," said Bonnie Brimecombe, principal of Odyssey Charter School-South, which burned to the ground. Families have been dropping their children off at the local Boys and Girls Club so students can be with each other, she said.
Long-term Consequences
Over the long term, disruptions can have profound effects on students’ learning and emotional stability. Children who experience natural disasters are more prone to acute illness and symptoms of depression and anxiety, research shows. The physical and mental health impacts put them at greater risk of learning loss: absences can undermine achievement, as can the effects of trauma on brain function.
Conclusion
The path forward for these students and educators is uncertain, but one thing is clear: the resilience of the human spirit will be tested in the face of adversity. As they navigate this challenging time, it is crucial that we support our schools and communities in their efforts to rebuild and recover.
FAQs
- What is the extent of the damage to schools in the Los Angeles area?
- At least seven schools have been destroyed, and many more have been damaged or are in off-limits evacuation zones.
- How many students are affected?
- Thousands of students have been displaced, with some estimates suggesting as many as 10,000 students may be affected.
- What is the plan for online learning?
- Some schools are offering online learning, while others are passing on it altogether. The approach varies depending on the school and its resources.
- What are the long-term consequences of these disruptions?
- Research suggests that students who experience natural disasters are more prone to acute illness and symptoms of depression and anxiety, and face a greater risk of learning loss.
