Nearly three weeks after the Woolsey Fire broke out, Malibu schools in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District are starting to reopen to students. The first reopening takes place on Wednesday, Nov. 28, with Webster Elementary School.
The other schools’ reopening schedule is as follows:
• Point Dume Marine Science School—Tuesday, Dec. 4
• Juan Cabrillo Elementary School—Monday, Dec. 10
• Malibu High School—Tuesday, Dec. 11
The delays were mostly due to professional cleaning and air quality testing the district conducted at the schools as well as preparations for the forecasted rain and possible mud/debris flow, as detailed in a letter sent to families by Superintendent Dr. Ben Drati. (Power outages further delayed the process.)
Juan Cabrillo and MHS are currently being rested for lead, asbestos and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
Supervision for all K-12 students will be available at Webster starting Nov. 28. A form—and more information—is available on the district website (www.smmusd.org). Supervision “is not an educational opportunity,” according to a district spokesperson.
Editor’s note: Webster Elementary School was closed on Thursday, Nov. 29, due to inclement weather. The school did reopen the next day, Nov. 30.