State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Celebrates Final Southern California School Returning to In-Person Instruction After Wildfires

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond today celebrated the return of students and educators from Palisades Charter High School as they return to in-person instruction months after the deadly Southern California fires in January damaged school sites. Palisades Charter High School is the final school community impacted by the January 2025 wildfires to return to in-person instruction following the loss of their campus to wildfire damage.

“Schools are the heartbeat of any community’s ability to recover as they provide stable and safe learning spaces for children,” Superintendent Thurmond said. “I am thrilled to see our students and educators across Southern California back in the classroom as they continue to heal and rebuild from these devastating fires.”

Superintendent Thurmond and the California Department of Education (CDE) continue to support the long-term recovery of Southern California school communities impacted by wildfires. The CDE and Superintendent Thurmond express sincere gratitude for the generosity of multiple public and private partners who have worked to ensure that all schools impacted by wildfires have been able to return to in-person instruction and safe school communities.

Specifically, the CDE and Superintendent Thurmond want to thank the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) and investment partner Blackstone, who worked on leasing space at no cost to Odyssey Charter Schools to allow students to continue to receive their education after being displaced by the fires. The Blackstone Charitable Foundation has also given $500,000 in donations and grants to help with the recovery efforts from the fires.

In addition, the CDE wants to thank nonprofit partners SupplyBank.org for their continued efforts to provide supplies to impacted families, educators, and school communities in the Los Angeles area. Donations can be made on their disaster relief fund page .

For questions regarding emergency response efforts or waiver submissions, please contact the CDE Office of Emergency Services at emergencyservices@cde.ca.gov.

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Tony Thurmond — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5602, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100