Persistent push from parents results in alternate energy sources after frequent power shutoffs
After missing days and days of school due to the many power outages and Public Safety Power Shutoffs plaguing Malibu the past two months, the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District has finally installed generators at all four Malibu public schools. The move on Jan. 23 came after repeated calls from parents concerned about the growing number of missed days of instruction.
The parental push for generators to provide power at Malibu Elementary, Webster, Malibu Middle, and Malibu High schools became a moot point however on Monday, Jan. 27, when storm and fire-related road closures forced the shutdown of the four schools once again.
With students, teachers, and staff unable to safely travel to the campuses, district officials were forced to cancel school Monday and promised to work with the City of Malibu, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the California Highway Patrol, LA County Public Works, and others to “develop other options.”
Since the Franklin Fire on Dec. 9 and the numerous power outages that resulted, public school instruction at MES was at a deficit of 120 hours as of Jan. 23, the date generators were installed. Unfortunately, on that Thursday installation, the generator at MES was inoperable, so school children were forced to gather and study in darkened classrooms.
By Friday, all four Malibu public schools were up and running, unaware of the interruption that would occur again Monday due to road closures and potentially unsafe driving conditions with predicted mudslides.
For Malibu parents who have long complained their voices are not heard and needs are not met, the installation of generators was a victory after weeks of complaints. A group of vocal and concerned parents had pleaded with Superintendent Dr. Antonio Shelton about procuring generators so their children could have some normalcy by attending school.
Some parents claimed their pleas fell on deaf ears for weeks until at a recent school board meeting their requests were granted.
The lack of initial response still stings for many families who’ve been dealing with their school’s inability to open.
Parent Richard Raymond, in demanding generators earlier, stated, “SCE should not be the arbiters of when school opens and is closed. No one wants to open a school when there is a dangerous red flag warning with imminent danger, but this is not about that. Our new normal is SCE turns off the power, and homes all over Malibu have generators, but yet a couple of doors down the street, the kids’ school does not, and that’s very confusing to children.”
The frustration of nearly a month of a closed MES and lengthy silence from SMMUSD concerning generators brought home one of the many issues Malibu families have been expressing for decades and just one of the reasons Malibu has been attempting to become an autonomous district.
“Malibu is a world away from Santa Monica. It’s very difficult for Santa Monica to understand what we’re going through as a community,” said Raymond, who added it was “heartbreaking” to see MES open without power and in the dark and “to see our children learning or struggling to even focus in pitch black classrooms. It was a step too far and it was great to see that parents finally woke up the district in Santa Monica to provide what they call temporary generators.”
Raymond and other parents are looking for a long-term solution, however, that may include solar power, batteries orfull-time generators.
“Whatever it is just to give us the ability when there is no eminent danger, when it’s just a power cut to be able to keep school open for our children so they don’t fall behind,” Raymond said. “I should feel like we’ve got a big win, but this was just ridiculously unnecessary. It shouldn’t have taken months of pressure and begging. It’s a great first step but it’sreally crucial that this turns into a permanent solution.”
MES parent Mark Di Paola was also frustrated by the lack of urgency SMMUSD initially had when he made many attempts requesting generators for Malibu schools. He eventually received responses stating the Air Quality Management District (AQMD) would not allow generators, yet said he called the AQMD, who informed him otherwise.
“It was going on more than a month of absolute silence,” he said. “I think I followed up personally five times.”
Di Paola was also frustrated with the lack of education this month.
“This is a legitimate emergency and the district isn’t invested in the safety and education of our kids, which is what this is about,” he said before the generators were brought in. “What are they doing? Seems like safety and education should be their number one and two priorities. It’s been extremely tough for the kids.”
“This is a great step forward,” Raymond added. “I’m grateful to see action being taken. Let’s keep the momentum going to ensure Malibu’s students no longer face the educational inequities caused by these closures!”