School Board to Consider Indoor Testing at Altadena Arts Magnet Before Students Return

The Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education will consider tonight whether to approve a $33,226 contract for indoor environmental testing at Altadena Arts Magnet, the Altadena elementary school that survived the Eaton Fire but has sat unoccupied for more than 14 months while its students attend classes elsewhere.

The contract with Verdantas Inc., an environmental consulting firm, would fund testing for metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, asbestos, and wildfire-related particulate matter inside the school before students return to the campus in August, according to Board Report 1933-F. The school at 743 East Calaveras Street was not directly damaged by the fire but was surrounded by approximately 75 burned properties within 250 yards, the report states.

If approved, the testing would represent a step the district is taking voluntarily. No state or federal agency has established formal requirements for indoor environmental testing following urban wildfire events, according to the board report. The district has already completed exterior pressure washing, professional interior cleaning using certified remediation specialists, HVAC system and duct cleaning, and exterior soil testing across all campuses following guidance from the Department of Toxic Substances Control, the board report states.

The scope of work, detailed in a March 18 proposal from Verdantas, includes a visual inspection of indoor surfaces for soot, ash, and char, followed by surface wipe sampling at a minimum of 24 locations across the facility. Wipe samples will be analyzed for Title 22 metals, PAHs, and asbestos. Air samples will also be collected at each surface sampling location and tested for asbestos, according to the proposal.

The analytical methods align with the American Industrial Hygiene Association’s Technical Guide for Wildfire Impact Assessments, the proposal states. Vista Environmental Consulting Inc., a certified asbestos consultant, will partner with Verdantas on the project. Sampling locations will be selected based on exposure potential and site conditions, and additional testing may be recommended based on initial findings, according to the board report.

The base contract would not exceed $28,226, with staff recommending an additional $5,000 allowance for potential follow-up work, for a total not-to-exceed amount of $33,226, according to the board report. The contract would be funded through the district’s General Fund under a wildfire recovery budget code, with potential reimbursement from insurance recovery proceeds, Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster assistance, or other disaster recovery funding sources, the report states.

The board action comes after the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health released preliminary findings on April 10, 2025, identifying elevated levels of lead in soil samples from areas downwind of the Eaton Fire. The county launched a soil testing program the following month, allocating up to $3 million for free residential soil lead testing in affected areas. The source of lead was attributed to the burning of older homes with lead-based paint, common in structures built before 1979.

In response, the district conducted exterior soil testing across all campuses. The indoor testing proposal was prompted by direction from the PUSD Facilities Committee and ongoing discussions regarding AB 1642, a proposed state bill that would require the Department of Toxic Substances Control to adopt statewide standards for post-wildfire environmental testing in homes, schools, and workplaces by July 1, 2027, according to the board report. The bill, authored by Assemblymember Chris Harabedian, cleared the Assembly Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials on March 10 and is now before the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

The Eaton Fire, which began on January 7, 2025, burned more than 14,000 acres and destroyed more than 9,400 structures across Altadena and surrounding communities. Five PUSD campuses sustained substantial damage. Altadena Arts Magnet was not among them, but its students were relocated to the Allendale campus in Pasadena due to the school’s proximity to destroyed properties.

The board report was originated by Michael Dunning, the district’s director of facilities, maintenance, operations and transportation, and submitted by Superintendent Elizabeth J. Blanco.

Altadena Arts Magnet, which offers a French Dual Language Immersion Program and has earned the California Distinguished Schools Award, anticipates welcoming students back to its Calaveras Street campus in August, according to the board report. The testing must be completed and results analyzed before re-occupancy.