The Los Angeles County Office of Education has launched a Wildfire Recovery Fund, in partnership with a philanthropic organization.
The Wildfire Recovery Fund, in partnership with the Greater Los Angeles Education Foundation, will deliver funding to help students, families, and educators impacted by the ongoing fires in the Los Angeles region, according to a Friday, Jan. 10 news release.
Schools across the Los Angeles region — from Malibu to Pasadena — are continuing to grapple with intense impacts from ongoing fires in the region.
The Palisades fire, as of Friday, Jan. 9, has burned more than 20,000-acres, leaving more than 5,000 structures — including homes, businesses, cars, and more — destroyed in the Pacific Palisades and Malibu.
And on the other side of town, the Eaton fire continued to spread throughout Altadena and Pasadena, burning more than 6,300 acres and leaving behind and equally destructive scene in its wake.
Despite the continuing devastation caused by both fires, officials announced on Friday that fire crews had finally gained some ground in their battle against the blazes — with the Palisades fire 8% contained, and the Eaton Fire 3% contained, both up from 0% containment the day prior.
But even with that progress, it’s unclear how long it could take to get the fires fully under control especially as weather forecasters predict that additional high winds could pick up again over the weekend and into next week.
The Wildfire Recovery Fund, according to LACOE’s announcement, will have several immediate and long-term initiatives aimed at supporting those impacted by the fires.
“The Los Angeles County Office of Education is uniquely positioned to coordinate emergency response efforts across all our public-school districts,” Debra Duardo, Los Angeles County Superintendent of Schools, said in the announcement, “to help students, educators and families recover from devastating losses.”
Those intitiatives, according to the announcement, will include:
- Basic needs relief including providing essential items like food, clothing, clean water, infant care products, transportation assistance, and emergency relief grants
- Counseling support including expanding access to school-based services
- Legal advocacy and resources to help families navigate legal and bureaucratic complexities
- Student enrichment, such as providing programs and educational materials to help restore normalcy to students’ lives
More than 12% of schools in the entire state — including around 800 in the Los Angeles Unified School District — have paused in-person instruction, according to EdSource.
“In times of crisis, our schools serve as anchors of stability and hope for our communities,” Duardo said. “These wildfires have disrupted thousands of lives, and we must act swiftly to ensure our students and educators can return to teaching and learning in safe, supportive environments.”
LAUSD, meanwhile, announced on Thursday, Jan. 9 that it would close all of its schools and office through Friday, Jan. 10 due to fire conditions and related air quality impacts.
“The confluence of factors – wind, fire, and smoke – have created unpredictable, complex situations, that present potentially unsafe conditions for our school communities, ” the District said. “As the Los Angeles region continues responding to this unprecedented crisis,” the district continued, “the health and safety of our students and employees are of the utmost importance.”
It’s unclear whether any LAUSD schools will return to normal operations next week. District officials did not respond to requests for comment on Friday.
Many other districts across the region, including San Gabriel, Santa Monica Malibu, Glendale, and Compton Unified School Districts have also closed as a result of the fires.
Pasadena Unified School District, meanwhile, announced Friday that its schools will remain closed through Friday, Jan. 17 because of the devastating impacts of the Eaton fire.
Donations to the Wildfire Relief Fund can be made online at glaef.org/lacounty-education-wildfire-fund.