UPDATES: See the latest on LAUSD schools | How you can donate and volunteer | How to stay safe amid unhealthy air | What to know about air purifiers | What alerts to sign up for | Resources and more things to know | PHOTOS: The Eastside grapples with effects of L.A. wildfires, windstorm
UPDATE Jan. 12, 2025: The district announced on Sunday that it will reopen most schools and all district offices on Monday, Jan. 13.
READ MORE: See a list of schools that will remain closed.
The Los Angeles Unified School District announced Thursday that all schools and offices will be closed on Friday, Jan. 10 due to hazardous air conditions caused by the wildfires across the L.A. region.
“The confluence of factors – wind, fire, and smoke – have created unpredictable, complex situations that present potentially unsafe conditions for our school communities,” the district posted on its website. All LAUSD schools were also closed on Thursday, and some 200 on Wednesday.
The District has yet to decide whether students will return to school on Monday, as the region continues to deal with hazardous air conditions caused by wildfires across Los Angeles County.
In a statement issued late Friday, district officials said it “…will continue assessing conditions and provide a preliminary update on Saturday regarding air quality levels and prevailing conditions.”
A final decision will be made on Sunday, the district said, adding that schools would be in contact with students and parents.
During the closures, LAUSD students will have digital access to academic resources, the district said. More than a dozen sites, including Hollenbeck Middle School and South Gate High School, will provide meal distribution from 8 to 11 a.m. Families within the district can stop by the locations to receive two meals per student. Meals will only be available for LAUSD students, the district said.
Students, parents frustrated with LAUSD’s late closure notice: ‘This could have been avoided’
“Our first priority is to protect the wellbeing of our workforce and our students. After ample consultation with leaders, after clear examination of the data available, and entering a second night of this crisis, it is prudent to announce that all schools across Los Angeles Unified will be closed tomorrow effective immediately,” said LAUSD Supt. Alberto Carvahlo during a press conference Wednesday evening.
The closures come after chaotic scenes unfolded Wednesday morning in Boyle Heights with long lines of confused parents waiting for their children to be released. More than 200 schools in the central and eastern parts of the district were closed. A list of school closures was published shortly after 9 a.m. Teachers and students said the closure notice came too late.
Students reported ashes on campus floors, stairs, balconies, and said the inside of their school buildings smelled like smoke. The water at the Roosevelt High pool appeared brown from the ashes. Some students and teachers wore masks. One teacher said she learned about the closures from students.
Photos: Los Angeles grapples with effects of wildfires and historic windstorm
Unions representing more than 74,000 LAUSD workers sent a letter to Carvalho on Wednesday, demanding that he close all district schools, offices, and worksites for the next two days without loss of compensation for workers. It calls on the district to assess whether schools may reopen on Monday.
“In these extreme circumstances, requiring students, families, and workers to travel to school and attempt to conduct educational services in this environment is unsafe and irresponsible,” the letter read, adding that other districts in the area had already decided to close,” the letter read.
The unions also urge the district to open up sites in safe zones for parents to take children if needed, and to make food and water available to families.
Power outages, evacuations, school closures: Everything to know about the L.A. fires
The United Teachers Los Angeles also issued a statement criticizing LAUSD protocols amid the wildfires.
“It’s unacceptable that the nation’s second-largest school district has demonstrated an inadequate response to this crisis. Today serves as a stark wake-up call for a new normal. Proactivity from the district and proper protocols could have prevented the current dysfunction causing disruption for families, students, and educators,” the statement read.
“The district’s delayed response, following Governor Newsom’s declaration of a state of emergency, forced students to attend school only to implement closures after they had already arrived at their campuses.”