ALL Oak Park Schools will remain closed through Thanksgiving break and will reopen on Monday, November 26th.
Oak Park Unified School District will keep schools closed until after Thanksgiving Break to allow for a thorough and deep cleaning to be performed by professionals hired by the district's insurance carrier, the Ventura County Schools Joint Powers Authority (JPA). A site by site inspection and detailed assessment has been performed by Insight Environmental under the auspices of the JPA and their hygienist has determined that every Oak Park school has been substantially impacted by smoke and ash and will require extensive and deep cleaning before students and staff may be allowed to return.
In collaboration with Insight Environmental, crews from ASR Property Restoration, (a local Ventura based company) will carry out deep cleaning, deodorizing, and disinfecting of interior spaces as well as power washing of exterior structures including buildings and playground equipment. Air scrubbers will be employed in all interior spaces, and HVAC systems will be cleaned and their filters changed. This protocol has been established by FEMA, the EPA, and the California Air Resources Board to ensure schools are safe for occupancy after a major fire event.
This district wide closure also includes Club Oak Park childcare and Oak Park Neighborhood Preschool. There will be no student activities, events, or practices during this time. Schools will be closed and employees will not be reporting to work until Monday, November 26th.
As always, the safety and well-being of our students and staff comes first. We hope this time away from school will allow our community to begin the healing and rebuilding process.
