Pasadena Unified School District announces phased reopening for schools
- Share via
- The Pasadena Unified School District hopes to have all students back in classrooms by the end of the month.
- All of the district’s 24 campuses have been closed since Jan. 8.
The Pasadena Unified School District will reopen campuses in phases over a two-week stretch with the goal of returning all students to in-person learning by the end of January as it begins recovery from the Eaton fire, which destroyed several schools and forced the closure of all campuses.
District officials, speaking at a board meeting Thursday night, said that an initial group of schools would reopen Jan. 23, bringing at least 3,400 students back to classrooms. Those schools include Hamilton Elementary School, Willard Elementary School, San Rafael Elementary School, Blair Middle School, Blair High School, Rose City High School, CIS Academy, and a handful of other facilities, said Supt. Elizabeth Blanco.
Before those schools — some of the least damaged in the district — can reopen, they must first pass environmental testing, she said.
Five district-owned school properties were severely damaged or destroyed in the conflagration that began Jan. 7. Among those, three charter schools rented campus space from the district: Pasadena Rosebud Academy, Aveson School of Leaders and Odyssey Charter School.
“We are considering their needs,” Blanco said at a news conference Thursday morning. “I know that they need space too — we’re just not able to assess where that space might be at this current time. But they’re not forgotten, and we’re working on it.”
Blanco, whose district includes 14,000 students — 10,000 of whom were evacuated from their homes — said several factors had slowed efforts to assess damage, including an inability to access some schools within evacuation zones. Collectively, the fire-ravaged schools educate about 1,500 students.
In a letter Wednesday to Blanco, the heads of four local charter schools noted that state law requires public school districts to offer independent charter schools available space. They asked for immediate support to find temporary facilities for their students, among other requests.
Asked about the letter Thursday, Blanco said, “I think what they’re trying to say is, ‘You’re not able to answer the questions that we need answered right now.’
“I would ask them to know that our hearts are with them too, and to be patient,” she continued. “They are part of a bigger plan.”
In addition to the charter school sites, district-run Eliot Arts Magnet was also damaged, possibly beyond repair, as was Franklin Elementary, which shuttered in 2020.
All of the district’s 24 campuses have been closed since Jan. 8. For those that survived the fire, several steps must occur before they can bring students back.
The Eaton firestorm destroyed five schools in the Pasadena Unified School District. Educators and families are trying to restore their children’s education.
The district is in the midst of a massive cleanup, deploying 1,500 workers who have removed 10 tons of debris from campuses. Sites can reopen only after testing confirms they are safe per the state Office of Emergency Services standards.
“If they don’t pass the environmental testing,” Blanco said, “then we will be required to clean them again.”
The superintendent said that a second phase of school reopenings would bring another 5,400 students back to classrooms; a third phase would add 5,000 more.
It’s not known how many of the district’s 3,000 employees lost their homes, but nearly 1,400 lived in neighborhoods that evacuated.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
