The LA Fires Show Why Schools Must Prepare for Climate Change
The Los Angeles fires threw schools into chaos, revealing their unpreparedness for the escalating challenges of the climate crisis. Schools need comprehensive disaster preparedness systems — not last-minute plans that put students and staff at risk.
LA superintendent Alberto Carvalho tours Nora Sterry Elementary, where some students displaced from the Palisades will attend, on Sunday in Los Angeles, California. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
On Wednesday morning, educators, staff, and students at Burbank Middle School in Highland Park arrived to find their school blanketed in ash. It was immediately clear this would not be a normal day. By 9:40 a.m., the power failed — even the backup generator for safety lights was out. Staff used flashlights from their emergency kits to navigate pitch-black stairwells. The principal scrambled to move students to the main building, and educators did their best to maintain calm amid the chaos. It wasn’t until 2:00 p.m. that the school was finally ordered to shut down.
This failure wasn’t unique to Burbank Middle School. Across Los Angeles, students, parents, and educators were thrown into unnecessary danger and confusion due to the district’s flat-footed response to the wildfire crisis.
Parents who sent their children to school that morning and commuted to work were forced to leave their jobs to pick them up. Those in more precarious positions or further regions had to rely on family, friends, or even educators to care for their children and hope for the best as parts of the city were engulfed in flames. One educator at Betty Plasencia Elementary got into a car accident after finally seeing students off, as by then many traffic lights had stopped working.
Schools district-wide were closed only after United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), alongside other local labor unions, demanded action. This lack of planning underscores a broader crisis: our schools are woefully unprepared for the escalating challenges of the climate crisis, and our kids are paying the price.
Underfunded and Unprepared
This isn’t the first time UTLA and other educators’ unions have raised the alarm. During the 2023 contract fight, which led to a three-day solidarity strike, we demanded the inclusion of a climate strategy in our contract negotiations. While the District agreed on paper, there has been slow progress in implementing tangible solutions. Schools are still operating with outdated HVAC systems, many of which fail to provide adequate ventilation during smoke and heat emergencies, leaving students and staff vulnerable to dangerous air quality.
Meanwhile, systemic underfunding of public schools and services has left districts nationwide fighting for scraps. In Los Angeles, we’re always asking communities to approve ballot measures and bonds just to cover basic school needs, while police budgets grow and fire departments are left struggling. These misplaced priorities aren’t just unfair — they’re harmful.
Over the past few years, workers — not their employers — have led the charge for emergency preparedness. Across the country, the labor movement has fought for essential disaster plans, including heat standards for outdoor workers, HVAC upgrades, personal protective equipment, and other basic safety measures. Yet these critical demands are often dismissed as optional rather than urgent. The climate crisis is here, bringing more frequent and intense wildfires, heatwaves, and floods. Schools need comprehensive disaster preparedness systems — not chaotic last-minute plans that put students and staff at risk.
Right now, the focus is on managing an overwhelming amount of work and disaster recovery, and creating a plan may not feel like the top priority. Students, families, and educators have lost their homes, some their loved ones, and many have been forced to evacuate. Our city is grappling with immense challenges to rebuild while still fighting to contain some fires. But when the dust settles and the flames die down, we cannot go back to business as usual.
We need comprehensive strategies and detailed plans to address a variety of crises. Schools should be identified as hubs to serve as crisis centers during emergencies, providing clean air, food, water, and shelter for students and families. Many students are living in garages, camper vans, or cars, without access to safe air or the necessary resources for virtual learning during crises. They deserve safe spaces where they can turn for support when the unexpected occurs.
Students Deserve a Safety Plan
At a minimum, every school should meet basic health standards, with modern HVAC systems, generators, clean-air filters, and access to safe water. But we must go further. Schools should play a vital role in addressing the climate crisis. Imagine campuses equipped with solar panels, rainwater collection systems, community gardens, and expanded green spaces. Envision community schools doubling as cooling zones and resiliency centers for those in need. These are not lofty aspirations — they are essential actions to safeguard Los Angelenos.
Without doubt, funds are limited. But we are far past the point where that can serve as an excuse for inaction. The problem is deeply embedded in our culture: districts that refuse to plan, governments that underfund schools, and corporations that lobby for tax breaks while fueling climate change. In the wake of this wildfire, we must confront these failures head-on.
Los Angeles educators are committed to working with staff, parents, and the broader community to demand real change. Our next contract negotiations, which begin this spring, will focus on transparency and accountability from the district regarding its climate commitments. We will push for detailed crisis plans, proper funding for disaster preparedness, and investments in climate mitigation efforts that prioritize students’ and educators’ safety.
Districts experiencing climate change should take note: the time to act is now. Teachers and staff are not only educators — we are first responders, caretakers, and advocates for our communities. But we cannot do this alone. It’s time for state and federal governments to properly fund our schools and for districts to take educators’ demands for climate action seriously and hold the funders of fossil fuels accountable.
The wildfire crisis should serve as a wake-up call. Let’s make it a tipping point. Our children’s safety and the future of our planet depend on it.