State Superintendent Thurmond Visits Southern California School Communities Impacted by Wildfires; Secures Resources for Recovery

PASADENA—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond continues to champion efforts to support the immediate emergency response and long-term recovery of Southern California school communities impacted by the devastating wildfires.

Recognizing the central role that schools play in community recovery, Superintendent Thurmond is working with the assistance of multiple public and private partners to ensure children and families have access to safe, supportive environments.

“Schools are the heartbeat of any community’s ability to recover as they provide stable and safe learning spaces for children,” Superintendent Thurmond said. “That’s why our team has had boots on the ground since the beginning of this tragedy, and we are committed to remaining side-by-side with local leaders to assist in the recovery.”

The California Department of Education (CDE) and Superintendent Thurmond have worked swiftly to secure resources and provide immediate support to impacted school communities. These include:

• Emergency Housing for School Staff: a partnership with Airbnb.org has been finalized to secure immediate, short-term housing for school staff in the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD), ensuring they have the shelter and stability needed to support students and families effectively.
• Essential Resources Distribution: Superintendent Thurmond and the CDE have partnered with the nonprofit SupplyBank.org to collect and distribute donations and emergency resources to school communities that are facing the most significant impacts of the wildfires.
• Replacement of Lost Educational Materials: The CDE is collaborating with curriculum providers and tech manufacturers to secure donations to replace school materials damaged or destroyed in the fires.
• Support for Mental Health Services: Recognizing the emotional toll of this disaster, Superintendent Thurmond and the CDE are working to secure access to mental health services for children, families, and school staff to aid recovery.
• Assistance for FEMA Applications: To date, $13 million in immediate assistance has been distributed to families for emergency housing. The CDE is ensuring school communities have the information they need to apply for further Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance.
• School Attendance Flexibility: To help schools avoid funding losses due to closures caused by wildfires, the CDE is streamlining the J-13A waiver process for charter schools, school districts, and county offices of education. J-13A waivers are used in cases of emergency school closures to prevent the loss of attendance-based funding. More information can be found on the CDE Form J-13A web page.
• Temporary School Facilities: CDE staff have joined the infrastructure and schools task force at the Joint Field Operations Center in Pasadena to coordinate the establishment of temporary school facilities and begin rebuilding efforts for damaged or destroyed schools.

“Our children, families, and school staff are enduring incredible challenges, and it is our responsibility to stand with them every step of the way,” said Superintendent Thurmond, who has prioritized being on the ground in Southern California since the devastating impacts of the wildfires first began.

On Monday, January 13, Superintendent Thurmond assisted in food distribution at PUSD, where he met with impacted students and families to distribute free meals, learn more about the support needs of impacted schools and families, and offer encouragement and assistance.

He also met with PUSD leadership and all school principals to hear about local needs for support and immediately began working over the week to establish public-private partnerships in response, such as the Airbnb.org agreement to provide emergency housing for every displaced PUSD staff member for one week. According to district leaders, nearly half of all school staff in Pasadena Unified have been displaced from their homes due to the wildfires.

On Thursday, January 16, Superintendent Thurmond joined the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, the Los Angeles fire chief, and other local leaders for the daily “One Voice” coordinated press briefing. Superintendent Thurmond also toured Brentwood Elementary Science Magnet School, which is serving students displaced by the fire destruction of Palisades Charter Elementary School, with Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, along with leaders from United Teachers Los Angeles and the Service Employees International Union – Local 99. In addition, he met with officials from FEMA and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) to discuss emergency response needs of local schools and advocate for emergency assistance for families, including mixed status families.

To better address the growing frequency of environmental crises, Superintendent Thurmond established the Office of Emergency Services within the CDE. This office ensures that schools receive the emergency support they need to navigate disasters such as fires, earthquakes, and floods. The CDE Office of Emergency Services has been in constant coordination with Cal OES throughout the response to wildfires in the Los Angeles area.

In fall 2024, the CDE released updated School Outdoor Air Quality Activity Recommendations (PDF), providing local educational agencies with resources to make informed decisions about conducting school activities and closures based on local air quality conditions when communities are impacted by wildfire smoke.

Additional resources for schools for emergency response and recovery can be found on the Resources from CDE web 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