SMMUSD community aids Woolsey Fire Victims

In the aftermath of the devastating Woolsey fires, SMMUSD is working to aid the victims in Malibu who faced the burning down of their homes. The school closings of Malibu High School, Points Dume, Webster and Juan Cabrillo have led its students to begin joining classes at other schools in the SMMUSD district so that they do not fall too far behind, with schools making accommodations for students affected by the fires and in the burn areas.The district has been successful in its efforts to resume classes at the closed schools: Malibu High School reopened on Wednesday, Dec. 12; Point Dume reopened on Tuesday, Dec. 4; Webster resumed classes on Wednesday, Nov. 28; Juan Cabrillo students returned to school on Monday, Dec. 10. Before inviting students back, the affected schools were required to carry out professional cleaning in order to address the concerns of many families that the schools were a harmful environment. Parents feared that the polluted air and particulates and toxins from the fire would have negative health effects on students and staff, especially those already suffering from respiratory problems. Also, the schools had to delay opening until they had reliable power to ensure that all technology and necessary equipment are functional.Although the air quality has improved ever since the onset of the fires, there is still a long way to go to return it to the same safety as before. To combat this, SMMUSD hopes to install air quality monitors, portable filtration units, and HEPA and carbon filters to exposed schools.Prior to the reopening of the schools, the district provided supervision for students who attended the closed campuses. Olympic High School and Webster welcomed students K-12 whose school’s experienced extended closure. There was also the option for students to switch to online schooling, homeschooling, distance learning, independent study or enroll in another school not in their boundaries but in the SMMUSD district. Samo has had many guest students ever since the fires began, including Jocelyn Leinbach (’20) who was able to enroll in all the classes she was previously taking.“Most teachers are very accommodating and helpful toward[s] me during this period of displace[ment]. I [am] grateful for great friends and everyone that [has] made me feel welcome,” Leinbach said.Samo has also welcomed Malibu High School staff members, including security guard Inelle Taylor. Taylor came to Samo when the fires first broke out and is grateful that she was accepted with open arms during her three week stay. Although her home is not in Malibu, she is still consumed in sorrow and despair as she witnesses other students and staff experience such a catastrophic event.“We don’t know the mindframes [of students and staff]. We don’t know what they are doing, how they are feeling. I haven’t talked to any of the kids personally but I know the staff that did lose their homes; it’s just heartbreaking. I know that they lost everything. [There is going to be] grief counseling [and] activities to put their minds other places so that way they do not have to be thinking about the stuff that happened to them [and] what they’ve lost,” Taylor said. SMMUSD is supporting students and staff displaced from the fires and are trying to compensate for lost class time. They have been trying to push back the dates of the AP exams and finals, and possibly even adding more days to the end of the school year. Additionally, the district brought therapy dogs to the affected schools as a measure to comfort students and staff. Now that the fires are no longer burning and the schools are safe to reopen, there is the risk of damage by mudslides. The rain storm that occurred shortly after the fires brought debri and mud down from the mountains and burnt areas back to the campus. As SMMUSD continues to deal with the aftermath of the fires, the district is continuing to monitor the air quality and ensure the safety of students and staff.