At a lengthy and emotional Pasadena Unified School District Board Special Regular Meeting on Thursday night, District officials revealed that approximately 10,000 of the District’s 14,000 students were affected by the Eaton Canyon Fire, with staff members and families losing their homes in the devastating blaze that struck on January 7 and 8.
“Our community has suffered a tremendous loss and I believe that the purpose of this resolution is to make a commitment to our overall desire for Pasadena Unified School District to restore, recommit, and to rise after this devastation,” said Board Member Patrice Marshall McKenzie, as the Board voted 6-1 to approve Resolution 2800 committing to rebuild Eliot Arts Magnet.
The District has undertaken a massive reorganization of school facilities to deal with changes wrought by the fire.
Elliot Arts Magnet is now co-located with McKinley, Altadena Arts Magnet has moved to the Allendale campus, and early childhood offices have relocated from Cleveland to Webster and Jefferson Children’s Center campuses. The District also offered space at Cleveland and Washington campuses to Aveson School of Leaders.
An unprecedented mental health response has been mobilized.
“We’ve had an exceeding amount of 60 plus people descend upon our campuses,” reported Julie Reynoso, Assistant Superintendent for Student Wellness and Support Services, describing a coordinated effort including Los Angeles County Office of Education, Northern and Southern California providers, and multiple County offices of education.
The District has established partnerships with Kaiser Permanente and the Department of Mental Health for ongoing support.
District operations teams have removed over 161 tons of debris from Pasadena Unified School District facilities.
“Our custodians worked alongside with all our tradesmen for the common goal of just getting the school safe and clean and back up,” reported Alfonso Lopez Lead Maintenance and Operations at PUSD, lead for the custodial department.
The Army Corps of Engineers is handling debris removal from burn structures using wet methods to reduce air pollutants. Environmental testing and air quality monitoring continue to be topics of concern among parents, with several requesting additional testing for contaminants like lead and asbestos.
Support services include:
- Multiple distribution events for affected families
- A community connector event hosted at Pasadena City College
- Chromebook replacements for lost devices
- Meal service for displaced families
- Plans for additional portable classrooms
The District has successfully reopened most schools, with attendance rates varying by campus. Officials emphasized recovery will be a long-term process requiring continued support from the entire community.
“We are working with insurance adjusters, with our third party administrators, with our brokers to ensure that we leverage our insurance companies for every penny that is owed to the District because of this strategy,” said Saman Bravo-Karimi, Pasadena Unified’s Chief Business Officer, addressing the ongoing claims process and future recovery planning.