Contra Costa County has issued a proclamation of local emergency due to severe weather conditions.
At 4:37 pm on October 27, 2019, County Administrator David J. Twa, as the Administrator of Emergency Services, signed the proclamation.
The proclamation states that “conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property have arisen within the County, caused by a severe weather event commencing at 8 p.m. on October 26, 2019. The velocity and duration of wind, coupled with low humidity, is driving wildfires in multiple locations, causing power disruptions, tree falls and infrastructure damage, and necessitating evacuations; and that these conditions are or are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment and facilities of the County.”
If this is the case, why are schools staying open? What happens if there are emergency evacuations like there have been all over Contra Costa today. How do all the kids get out? Schools have drills for on site emergencies and all evacuation sites are within walking distance. If evacuation due to fire were to occur, how can we possibly get them all out safely and far enough away?
If we know the winds will last into morning, we should take precautions and close schools.
I don’t have children, but am a college student myself and agree if the schools are not prepared, could make for a more dangerous situation.
The school campuses should be closed.
Exactly
Keep them home. It’s probably the safest thing you could do as a parent. The responsible thing for the school district is to shut the schools ALL SCHOOLS down till Wednesday. It’s too bad that they can’t see that .
I agree. Even schools without power are remaining open.
Declaring an emergency allows the County to take emergency actions and use money without Board of Supervisors approval. It has nothing to do with school closures.
Agreed. I have school age kids and I feel like they are safer at home during such a high alert time. Not to mention that schools do little to keep them indoors when the air quality is so poor
Agreed! There is it a countywide emergency, all the schools should be closed. They do this in other counties. Our county school districts are so greedy. Why do they wonder why MDUSD is getting to strike? Several educators have been evacuated from their homes. They are not looking out for what is best for the students. They want the money from attendance. This is insanity.
Me too
Yes my kids would not be going out in this weather !! It’s hard enough to see Let alone breath this smoke !! the air quality is TERRIBLE !!!
So,
You are on your own. Can’t imagine what is going to happen when the earthquake hits!
I agree with concerned Citizen!! Why are we keeping schools open? Or are you going to spring it on us when we can no longer legitimately call into work? Let’s plan this safely and appropriately- the quality of air alone constitutes not going out in it.
I think all parents of school aged children as well as teachers would like to know MDUSD’s position on this? We need to know if schools will be closed during this time of severe bad air quality.
No kidding?
Public school have all this information on their site safety plans. They also have district safety plans. Robo calls always go out. They alert news media if they will close schools, send emails, and post on district websites.
If you are upset about the conditions in MDUSD (teachers are), I encourage you to go to the rally MDEA (MDUSD’s teacher union) is having tomorrow at the district office. Kinders will have BBQ, rally starts at 5:30 and we want people there at 7:00 when the board meets so they can see we are serious about needing to settle a student-centered contract with my counselors, nurses, and smaller class sizes. We’ve been out of contract for 2 years.
Our school safety plans do not include evacuation plans in the event of a mandatory evacuation. Only offsite locations shouls there be an event at the school warranting evacuation. They are within walking distance of the school. If we were to be under mandatory evacuation due to vegetation fire, chances are so will those offsite locations. We do not have a plan to get all students off site to a location that his father than walking distance. If this is the new norm- the district needs to advise on how we can update our safety plans. Until then, we need to take necessary precautions.
If what we have experienced is beyond the control or capacity to cope with, then we need to get new personnel in the Office of Emergency Services. What a joke, they spend millions of dollars annually training for these emergencies. WTF.
Does anyone know why these fires are happening? Is it Rson, pge, car backfire, or is it really just low humidity and wind? Cus it is weird to see this many fires in contra costa county (or i may just not remember any others of there were some)… I mean today there was a tiny fire behind sunvalley mall and this morning there was the one in clayton and then all the other ones…
That is a really good question…one I have been pondering myself.
Dr. Robert Martinez, superintendent of MDUSD, just posted on Facebook that all schools will be open. He mentioned that we will need to basically adjust to the “new normal”, never once mentioning the bad air quality!
We already know it’s beyond there control. Is it beyond there ability?
per MDUSD: They plan for all schools to be open tomorrow; at this time.
This sounds more like CYA. We are on our own. No back up plans offered.
Don’t wait for the government (school districts are part of government) to tell you what to do. We can make our own safety decisions. Don’t go if you’re not comfortable.
I am sure there will be plenty of parents missing work tomorrow to continue monitoring their homes and neighbors. It sure would be nice if their kids could be at home in case of an emergency so that families can be together during this unprecedented emergency.
We have had high winds before. This is a PG&E issue. They do not trim trees and are not maintaining the lines. Several power lines came down. This is unacceptable.
Schools are open tomorrow!!! Why???????? Have you gone outside and can barely breathe and see. I can understand staying open when there is no power but the smoke is terrible and it is a health hazard. People should call the Superintendent and tell him to get out of his house and see if he can last staying outside. I highly doubt it.
As a parent of 3 kids I think the best for our kids is to have them home…MDUSD is thinking only about themselves and not the safety of our children I would rather have my children be home tomorrow where I can assure that they will be safe instead of sending them to school and having to worry about my children being safe because I don’t think the schools are prepared for this type of emergency
Dr. Martinez,
Please show me a school’s evacuation plan to move 500-2,00 students to An evacuation site. There is no way. And are you prohibiting outdoor classes tomorrow? It’s all about getting your ADA so you can get the money to continue to send admin and staff to conventions and conferences.
Signed, Disgruntled Parent
I agree! We need an evacuation plan. This just isn’t safe.
One would think that if a state of emergency was declared, the school districts would still receive funding for students while schools are closed. Is this not true?
It is my understanding from the prior school closures, due to poor air quality, that once a state of emergency is declared the days do not need to be made up & the schools are fully funded.
Dr Martinez has a Cockroach and rodent infested elementary school in Clayton that he can’t take care of. Sadly,I highly doubt he can produce an appropriate evacuation plan for a school with as little as 800 students.
Many parents are worried about sending their kids to school tomorrow. I am a teacher in MDUSD and parent of 3 MDUSD students. My two cents:
Parents- many of you want to keep your children home tomorrow, if you are concerned, then keep them home. You are the parent and this is a real situation and you should not let others dictate how to keep your children safe. District- thank you if you want to keep schools open to support our parents who need to/believe in leaving their children in our hands this week. But also know that parents who would rather have their kids safe with them should not be punished.
Overall as a community we should do our best to stick together and support one another, however that looks like for us. Getting through together is better than getting through apart. Let’s get through this week safely!
My mother works in the district and has to go in to work tomorrow along with my two sisters to school. They don’t want to be going in. The air quality is horrible. Last time we had bad smoke in the air they all got sick daily at school. I’m worried about their health. Unfortunately my mother has no choice but to go to work. I hate this. I agree. When the smoke is this bad and there are fires and evacuations school should be cancelled.