After a traumatic week of school closures due to the Palisades Fire, students have begun to return to some Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) campuses.
On Monday, SMMUSD campuses in Santa Monica opened for students and staff, with the exception of Roosevelt Elementary, which was still in an evacuation warning zone Sunday evening when district officials made the decision. The warning zone that included Roosevelt was lifted on Monday morning.
Campus availability for Tuesday at all Santa Monica schools will be decided Monday afternoon. Students at Lincoln Middle School and Samohi, along with families who made the personal decision to keep children home Monday, were given excused absences if needed.
Schools will be operating on an “inclement weather schedule,” which means no outside play time. SMMUSD Community & Public Relations Officer Gail Pinsker told the Daily Press that the inclement schedule was out of an abundance of caution. Outdoor play areas will be undergoing cleaning on Monday.
Meanwhile, Malibu schools will remain closed at least through Wednesday due to ongoing safety concerns and the need for campus assessment, cleaning and road re-openings.
Pinsker said that as of Monday morning, there have not been any reports of damage to Malibu schools, aside from prior damage to Webster Elementary School that “still needs some work.” Webster took some damage from December’s Franklin Fire, with students returning to the campus for one minimal day on Jan. 6 before closing again the following day.
In a Sunday message to the district, Superintendent Dr. Antonio Shelton stated that recent upgrades to windows, doors, and heat, ventilation and air conditioning systems “have made a tremendous positive difference in the condition of (SMMUSD) indoor spaces during this nearby fire.”
Campuses will have masks available for students that request them, but will not make masking indoors mandatory, following current guidelines from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
“We deeply appreciate the patience, understanding, and resilience of our Santa Monica and Malibu communities during this challenging time,” Shelton added.
Pinsker stated that transportation issues have not been reported Monday, with special education students who take buses to their campuses running normally.
For such a trying time, the district has put together a list of school and community-based mental health support systems, including a free Zoom support workshop for families Wednesday evening. To register, visit:https://chapterevent.ypo.org/event/e7e98d79-62cb-4ebe-aefa-424cdaff3b57/summary.
Free therapy support for students and families include North Star Families, with Dr. Wendy Denham and team available via phone or zoom. The North Star phone line can be reached via text at 310-431-1935. In addition, The Boys & Girls Club of Malibu Wellness Center has free counseling, case management and resource referrals, with the contact line being 310-457-6801 ext. 74141 or wellnessinfo@bgcmalibu.org.
“We are very watchful of our students,” Pinsker said. “Their mental health and their social-emotional wellbeing is of the utmost importance right now with the return to school.”
Saint Monica Preparatory returned to in-person classes Monday, with regular transportation and lunch services also resuming. At the collegiate level, Santa Monica College resumed on-ground classes, services and business operations on Monday at its Main Campus and all satellite campuses, with the exception of SMC Malibu which will remain remote.
