Los Angeles Unified School District Cancels Classes Monday as Tropical Storm Hilary Hits Region

The Los Angeles Unified School District has canceled school Monday amid a tropical storm warning in the Southern California area.

Superintendent Alberto Carvalho made the announcement Sunday afternoon in a live press conference covered by local TV news stations as heavy rainfall was hitting Southern California.

“There is no way we can compromise the safety of a single child or employee,” he said. “Our inability to determine access to schools makes it impossible for us to open” on Monday.

He added that operations are expected to resume as usual Tuesday.

“Los Angeles Unified is making the difficult decision to close all of our schools, campuses and after-school programs tomorrow, Monday, Aug. 21,” the district added in a post on X. “Students and families: please do not come to your school campus. This was not an easy decision.”

LAUSD noted that with the peak of the storm expected around midnight, that did not give the district “enough time for our staff to adequately inspect our facilities. In addition, we are expecting winds which may adversely impact our transportation network and system, putting students and employees at risk.”

They added that downed power lines and impassible roads, combined with forthcoming flooding, are causing “major safety hazards.”

Lest students think they are getting a free day off, the district added that teachers are being asked to post activities and resources on the Schoology app by 10:30 a.m. Monday morning.

Los Angeles Unified Announces School Closures for Monday, Aug. 21 pic.twitter.com/nzzNDvTNbd

— Los Angeles Unified (@LASchools) August 20, 2023

Meanwhile, charters schools are allowed to make their own decisions separate from LAUSD if they wish to remain open. Private schools also were notifying parents late Sunday that had chosen to cancel school as well.

LAUSD is the second-largest school district in the U.S., behind only the New York City Department of Education. In the 2022-23 school year, the most recent for which LAUSD’s website lists data, the district comprised 784 K-12 schools and 429,349 K-12 students.

A tropical storm warning was issued for Southern California on Friday, while flash flood warnings were issued Sunday as Tropical Storm Hilary hit the region, bringing heavy rainfall.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency.

Unrelated, on early Sunday afternoon, an earthquake also was felt across part of Southern California. The magnitude 5.1 earthquake was centered four miles southeast of Ojai, which is north of Los Angeles in Ventura County. The earthquake, combined with the heavy rains, caused some people on social media to joke about the “hurriquake” and “rainquake” experienced by Southern California residents Sunday.