Los Angeles Unified Announces School Closures Amid Tropical Storm Hilary: “This Was Not An Easy Decision”
21.08.2023 - 00:19
/ deadline.com
Los Angeles Unified School District has announced school closures for Monday, August 21 following Tropical Storm Hilary.
“Tomorrow there will be no schools,” Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho said during a press conference on Sunday afternoon.
Schools are expected to open and resume normal activities on Tuesday, August 22.
“Los Angeles Unified is making the difficult decision to close all of our schools, campuses and after-school programs tomorrow, Monday, Aug. 21. Students and families: please do not come to your school campus,” read a statement from LAUSD shared on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
The statement continued, “This was not an easy decision. Los Angeles Unified recognizes the unique, unprecedented nature of Tropical Storm Hilary, which has garnered city, county and state declarations of emergencies. We are expected to experience the peak of this storm at midnight, which does not afford enough time for our staff to adequately inspect our facilities.”
In addition, LAUSD made the decision to close the schools as winds are forecasted “which may adversely impact our transportation network and system, putting students and employees at risk.”
The school district informed that the storm has “downed power lines and impassable roads throughout the region, while flooding is forthcoming. These are imminent and major safety hazards.”
“For many of our students, school provides a safe space with food, shelter and services on top of the education they already receive. However, we also recognize that many of our families have been impacted by Tropical Storm Hilary and that traveling to school may pose hardship or risk,” the statement continued.
“To ensure continuity of learning, we have taken