* Although Palisades Charter High largely survived the fire, it is far from ready to reopen.
* Schools are looking for temporary locations and preparing to resume online classes.
Fire-damaged Palisades Charter High School is looking for temporary housing as school leaders work to ramp up a makeshift and scary online program while families of about 2,900 students face the consequences of having their children education and future confusion, loss and anxiety.
Principal Pamela Magee said about 40 percent of the campus was damaged or destroyed. Magee said that while the original main campus survived, its overall condition rendered it unusable.
With the severity of the closures, parents and students have expressed widespread concern. What should you do when your Advanced Placement exam is approaching? Will the school year be extended to make up for lost instructional time? What impact will it have on grades and college applications? When will sports resume? Will schools lose teachers if many students attend elsewhere? If students leave temporarily, can they come back?
Melted ash fragments may contain toxins and may delay return to campus.
“I don’t want to be exposed to something toxic so that in ten years I’ll be sick,” said board member Maggie Nance, a parent, Spanish teacher and swim coach at the school. At the same time, she said she recognizes that students need to be back in the classroom.
"Being online is terrible for my children's mental health," she said at Tuesday night's school board meeting. She was referring to the extended hours of online education during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nance added that she understands parents may want to attend another school.
Los Angeles School Supt. Alberto Cavalho climbs to the entrance of the Palisades Charter High School building.
(Howard Bloom)
“Do what’s best for you,” she said, urging families to stick together and stay the course: “If they stay in school, they’re going to go through this together.”
During an online meeting, board members voted to grant Magee emergency powers to make critical, time-sensitive decisions.
Barre High School is a popular independent charter school with its own board of trustees that uses a historic campus owned by the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Barrie is essentially a community school located on an expensive residential enclave on the upper slopes of the Pacific Ocean. Because Barrie is a charter school, students from outside the school district can apply for admission through a lottery. The high-achieving school is 51% white and 24% Latino. About 27 percent of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch due to lower family income.
On the evening of January 7, a fire broke out at Palisades High School.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Although the campus buildings are unassuming, the grounds are spacious, green, and maintained to a level that exceeds many other public high schools in the city.
In an online post this week, Pali leaders announced what they were looking for at the temporary site:
● Classroom space or campus available for lease or donation
● Spacious indoor and outdoor spaces, suitable for receiving students and teachers
● Support from local organizations to assist with logistics and operations
● Volunteers help with moving, setup and coordination
● Access to nearby sports practice areas
Niloo Farhadian, the parent of an eighth-grader who will attend the school next year, said many parents are considering private school options and are under pressure to submit applications before the deadline.
"Is it possible for us to return to campus?" she asked.
"We really hope we don't have to change schools," one mother said. She wanted to see photos of the school to see where there was damage and where there was no damage.
Officers then scrolled through a slideshow of such images.
Parents are also concerned about logistics.
The parent of a third-grader wants to know about alternatives to a school laptop that was destroyed when their house burned down. What about the Internet?
Palisades High School is located across the street from the homes destroyed in the Palisades Fire.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
The school promised to replace computers and provide internet hotspots starting as soon as Thursday. With families spread out, managers are working to determine where best to place distribution sites.
Online teaching will begin next Tuesday (January 21). The spring semester was originally scheduled to begin on January 13.
"I totally understand the delay," one parent said. "I was just a panicked teenager at home, feeling very isolated."
There are significant concerns about the move to online learning.
Cat Benner said that when her daughter went online at middle school during the pandemic, "a couple of her teachers decided not to come." She wanted reassurance that that wouldn't happen.
Teacher Stephanie Moore responded, "We want rigor. We don't want to overwhelm the kids, but we want to be responsible."
One senior student posted a comment about the cost of online learning:
"I went through huge struggles. I dealt with depression and suicidal thoughts. I felt like I couldn't function mentally and academically. Going back to school was a key part of my recovery and being able to be successful in school again Part. When I got back to campus, my F. The grade turned into an A. Being able to meet face to face with my friends has been a lifeline during the most difficult times of my life. Their support and presence has helped me get through things that no other way could have done, and now, I am better than I was. They are needed more than ever and now, with the destruction of schools, I feel like that progress is being lost.”
The student urged a quick turnaround solution.
"If only part of the building is gone, why can't we clear out the rubble and replace the lost classrooms with temporary structures? There is space in the plaza and around campus to build these structures quickly. They can go up in a matter of days."
Maggie tried to comfort her.
She said the school has started applying for emergency funding.
"We're looking at other potential sites for a school," Magee said. "We have some really good leads."
“We know our enrollment is going to change,” Magee said, and some students will enroll elsewhere. “But we are trying to keep our campus together as much as possible.”
At least 11 staff members lost their homes. At least 14 people were also displaced. Despite the difficulties, 120 employees attended the planning meeting in Beverly Hills, with another 30 participating via Zoom.
Because Barre High School is primarily a community school, there is the potential for a large number of families to be evacuated or lose their homes.
Three or four board members lost their homes, including Kumars Arzani, who called the meeting from Tarzana. He broached the idea of recovery without talking much about his personal difficulties.
Many speakers talked about being prepared to help raise funds and volunteer. The school establishes a fund.
“Our school is a living entity,” Magee said. "This is more than just a location...We're going to get through this difficult time."