2025 L.A. County Wildfires Form J-13A Resources

Executive Order (EO) N-6-25

Governor Newsom issued EO N-6-25 (PDF) to provide relief and specified statutory flexibility to Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) impacted by the 2025 Los Angeles County Wildfires.

EO N-6-25 provides relief to impacted LEAs from some of the typical Form J-13A requirements.

While this guidance reflects the current information reflected in EO N-6-25, it is possible that further clarification or changes may be issued. Please continue to monitor this page and any official communications from the California Department of Education for updates.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which LEAs are covered by EO N-6-25?

EO N-6-25 applies to LEAs in Los Angeles County that have been impacted by the Los Angeles County Wildfires in 2025. This includes the school districts, and charter schools within Los Angeles County, and the Los Angeles County Office of Education.

What is the process for submitting a Form J-13A under EO N-6-25?

School Closures: EO N-6-25 allows LEAs to submit a Form J-13A without an affidavit requirement. Affected LEAs satisfy submission requirements by completing and submitting the following documents and sections:

Form J-13A

• Section A: Request Information
  • Part I: Local Educational Agency
  • Part II: LEA Type and School Site Information Applicable to this request
  • Part III: The LEA should only select “school closure” and check the box indicating that there was a declaration of a State Of Emergency by the Governor of California during the dates associated with the request.
• Section B: School Closure
  • Part I: Nature of Emergency
  • Part II: School Information
    

2025 Los Angeles County Wildfire-Form J-13A Signature Page and Independent Study Certification Form

• Satisfies the affidavit requirement for the Form J-13A and only requires the signature of a school district superintendent, charter school administrator, county superintendent, or a designee must sign the form.
• Affected LEAs can obtain form by contacting the Attendance Accounting office by phone at 916-324-4541 or by email at attendanceaccounting@cde.ca.gov.

Independent Study Plan

• This plan can be a board policy, master agreement, or any other relevant documentation and only needs to be submitted with the first submittal of a fiscal year.

Material Decrease: EO N-6-25 does not change the documentation requirements for Form J-13A requests submitted for material decreases in attendance related to the 2025 Los Angeles County Wildfires. If an LEA experiences a material decrease in attendance, they must follow the standard Form J-13A submission process using the standard Form J-13A submission documents.

Are LEAs included EO N-6-25 required to submit a Certification Form for Independent Study and independent study plan?

Yes. LEAs included in EO N-6-25 must certify to having an independent study plan. Affected LEAs can meet this requirement by completing the 2025 Los Angeles County Wildfire-Form J-13A Signature Page and Independent Study Certification Form, which can be obtained by contacting the Attendance Accounting office by phone at 916-324-4541 or by email at attendanceaccounting@cde.ca.gov.

The plan is intended to facilitate academic continuity in the event of school closures or student absences (Education Code [EC] Section 46393(a)(2)); however, the approval of a Form J-13A waiver request is not conditioned upon the implementation of the independent study plan.

Do LEAs included in EO N-6-25 need to make up instructional time after a school closure?

No. While making up instructional days is not a prerequisite for a Form J-13A waiver request, CDE would encourage LEAs to look at the feasibility of adding instructional time to the calendar to help minimize academic disruption for students to the maximum extent possible.

Can a local educational agency (LEA) submit multiple Form J-13As during the 2024-25 fiscal year (FY)?

Yes. It is possible that an LEA might need to submit multiple Form J-13As throughout the year. For example, an LEA might initially file a Form J-13A under Executive Order (EO) N-6-25 (PDF) due to a wildfire-related school closure. Later, after the emergency has ended, the same LEA might need to file another Form J-13A using the normal process to report a material decrease in attendance unrelated to the wildfires.

Will school closures and material decreases in attendance due to the 2025 Los Angeles County wildfires affect funding in fiscal year (FY) 2024–25?

In most cases, funding will not be affected by closures in FY 2024–25 because LEAs that do not operate on a fixed divisor remove the closure days from the divisor when calculating average daily attendance (ADA), as these are not days of instruction.

For school districts, a material decrease in attendance may temporarily affect funding in FY 2024–25 if the school district is funded on current year ADA. California's school funding system for school districts uses the greater of current year, prior year or the average of the three most recent prior years ADA for Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) calculations. Affected school districts should submit a material decrease Form J-13A to restore losses in current year ADA.

Charter school LCFF funding is based on current year reported ADA, so charter schools that see a material decrease in attendance may be affected in FY 2024–25 without an approved Form J-13A.

What other flexibilities are provided under Executive Order (EO) N-6-25?

EO N-6-25 provides several other important flexibilities for local educational agencies (LEAs) impacted by the wildfires:

• Instructional Time: LEAs in Los Angeles County are not penalized for failing to meet instructional day and minute requirements due to the emergency (see EO section 3) as long as they submit and are approved for a Form J-13A.
• Class Size: Class size requirements for transitional kindergarten through grade 8 are suspended for impacted LEAs in Los Angeles County (see EO section 4).
• Student Residency: Residency requirements are suspended for the 2024-25 schoolyear for students displaced by the fires in Los Angeles County (see EO section 5).
• Staffing Ratios: LEAs and bargaining units are encouraged to adjust staffing ratios for the 2024-25 schoolyear to accommodate displaced students (see EO section 7).