Students Impacted by L.A. County Fires Allowed to Attend Schools Outside of their Home Districts
With Executive Order, Governor suspends residency requirements and other rules governing schools for the 2024-25 school year; Westminster School District offers to enroll displaced students.
Students displaced by the devastating and deadly fires that have destroyed or damaged an estimated 12,000 structures, including homes, businesses, and schools, across Los Angeles County could soon have an easier time transferring to schools in Orange County.
On January 14, California Governor Gavin Newsom issued an Executive Order that suspends several rules for districts, including residency requirements for affected students in L.A. County during the 2024-25 school year. The order is intended to help minimize further educational disruptions for students. It's estimated more than 600,000 students in the L.A. County region had their schooling interrupted last week, as NPR reported.
“The executive order I signed today will help bring back some sense of normalcy for our youth by eliminating barriers to getting them back learning in school,” Gov. Newsom said in a news release announcing the order.
The order notes that tens of thousands of people are under mandatory evacuation orders and dozens of schools remain closed due to the still-burning Palisades Fire, Eaton Fire, Hurst Fire and others.
The Pasadena Unified School District, which has 23 campuses, some of which were damaged in the Eaton Fire, has closed all schools through January 17. It’s offering “self-directed online learning options” to its 14,000 PreK through 12th grade students, according to its website. The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District reopened its campuses in Santa Monica today, but its schools in Malibu remain closed until at least January 15.
The Los Angeles Unified School District, the largest in California serving 540,000 students, reopened most of its campuses this week. But students from schools that were severely impacted by the Palisades Fire, including Marquez Charter Elementary and Palisades Charter Elementary, are relocating to attend classes at other schools tomorrow.
Governor Newsom’s order states: "Residency requirements for those students who were attending schools in Los Angeles County impacted by this emergency, including those set forth in Education Code sections 48200 and 48204, are suspended for the remainder of the 2024-2025 school year." Districts are urged to help facilitate interdistrict transfer requests for students displaced by the fires.
Westminster School District Offers Immediate Enrollment to Students Impacted by L.A. County Wildfires
The Westminster School District has already responded. In a press release issued today, the WSD said it is offering immediate in-person school transfers for short-term or long-term enrollment. It is welcoming affected students from L.A. County to attend any of its 17 schools in the cities of Westminster, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach and Midway City.
"WSD is here to help you attend school in-person without interruption," WSD Superintendent Gunn Marie Hansen, Ph.D., said in the release. "Any student displaced by the wildfires is welcome to enroll with us, even on a temporary basis. We have plenty of resources to share with your family."
Students are being offered complimentary backpacks and school supplies. The district also said its no-cost family boutique has received “hundreds of thousands of donations” that it can provide to students and families in need of clothing and other items.
Interested families are asked to contact Brittany Patterson at (714) 894-7311 ext. 1072 or via email at bpatterson@wsdk8.us. The WSD is a TK-8 district serving roughly 8,200 students.