The Pasadena Unified School District will reopen campuses in phases over two weeks, with the goal of having all students back in classroom learning by the end of January, as the district begins to recover from the Eaton Fire, which destroyed several schools and forced schools to close all campuses.
But school district officials did not provide specific details of the plan at a news conference Thursday or reveal details about how and where burned charter schools could reopen.
The district said in a statement that six schools are expected to open next week. The sites are expected to be named at a board meeting Thursday night.
Five district-owned school properties were severely damaged or destroyed in the fire that started Jan. 7. Aveson School of Leaders and Odyssey Charter School. The district has not discussed the future of those campuses.
“We are taking their needs into consideration,” said the district police officer. Elizabeth Blanco. “I know they need space too – we just can’t assess where that space might be right now. But they are not forgotten and we are working on it.
Blanco, whose district has 14,000 students, 10,000 of whom were evacuated from their homes, said several factors have slowed efforts to assess the damage, including a lack of access to some schools within evacuation zones. The school destroyed by the fire had about 1,500 students.
In a letter to Blanco on Wednesday, the superintendents of four local charter schools noted that state law requires public school districts to make available space for independent charter schools. Among other requests, they requested immediate support to find temporary facilities for students.
Asked about the letter Thursday, Blanco said, “I think what they’re trying to say is, ‘You can’t answer the questions we need to answer right now.'”
“I want them to know that our hearts are with them and to be patient,” she continued. “They’re part of a bigger plan.”
In addition to the charter school site, the district-operated Eliot Arts Magnet school was damaged, possibly beyond repair, as was Franklin Elementary School, which closed in 2020.
All 24 of the district’s campuses have been closed since Jan. 8.
The district is conducting a massive cleanup effort, deploying 1,500 staff and has removed 10 tons of trash from campus. The sites can only reopen after testing confirms they are safe according to California Office of Emergency Services standards.
“If they fail environmental testing, then we will be required to clean them again,” Blanco said.
It’s unclear how many of the region’s 3,000 employees lost their homes, but nearly 1,400 people live in evacuated communities.
