Parent voices concerns about school closures during Border 2 Fire
Jan 27, 2025
CHULA VISTA, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — As of Monday night, the Border 2 Fire is now 43% contained after the flames burned more than 6,625 acres in the Otay Wilderness.
That fire sparked air quality concerns and school closures, but not all campuses were closed in the Sweetwater Union High School District.
Because of the fire, the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District issued a smoke advisory last Friday in Otay Mesa and surrounding areas.
While the rain helped firefighters contain the Border 2 Fire, South Bay residents are still dealing with the fallout from the blaze.
“These schools that they had open, they should have closed," parent Joseph Viveiros said.
He believes some students were unfairly penalized for missing school because the air quality concerns.
Evacuation orders lifted for some residents near Border 2 Fire
“My youngest has got medical issues, one of which is pulmonary issues," he said.
That’s why he kept his student home from school.
“You do not need to expose these students, these children, well teens, but they’re still children to this smoke,” he said.
Through discussions with the city of Chula Vista and Cal Fire, the district closed Eastlake Middle, Eastlake High, East Hills Academy and Olympian High on Friday.
“The ones that we decided to close were the ones that were under evacuation order,” said Nadege Johnson, a spokesperson for the Sweetwater Union High School District.
The Environmental Protection Agency advises people with breathing or heart conditions and young children to stay indoors or wear an N-95 mask during smoke advisories, so the remaining schools limited outdoor activity at the open campuses.
“Normal outdoor activities were inside, so that’s nutrition break. That’s P.E. All of the outdoor activities that any of our students would practice were moved indoors,” she explained.
Despite that, Viveiros says the district didn’t do enough to protect its students.
“It’s not just about me. It’s for all these other students that showed up here because they should not have done this,” he said.
Viveiros asked the board during public comment to excuse the absences for any student who missed school because of the air quality, and as the board wrapped up public comment, Vice President Solis said they would look into it.
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