Update for TUSD Families - November 14

Dear TUSD Families, 

Last night, we made the difficult decision to pause our school reopening plan based on the most current information available to us regarding the status of the Tustin Hangar incident.  As we previously shared, this situation is extremely fluid and continuously evolves.  Please know we are committed to getting information out as soon as we can in order to allow families to plan and that we, too, want all of our students and staff safely back on campuses.

This morning, as we continue to meet with the Incident Management Team, OCHCA, South Coast AQMD and the City of Tustin, we are thrilled to share that we are reopening all campuses that have been cleared by our certified asbestos consulting firm, Envirocheck, for on-campus instruction tomorrow, November 15.

Campuses cleared by the certified asbestos consulting firm to date include: 

Elementary Sites:
Arroyo Elementary School
Benson Elementary School
Guin Foss Elementary School
Ladera Elementary School
Loma Vista Elementary School
Myford Elementary School
Orchard Hills K-5 School
Peters Canyon Elementary School
Red Hill Elementary School
Tustin Memorial Academy

Secondary Sites:
Columbus Tustin Middle School
Foothill High School
Hewes Middle School
Orchard Hills 6-8 School
Pioneer Middle School

In addition to clearance by Envirocheck, these campuses have received a general cleaning and will resume in-person instruction, athletics, and activities. Elementary and middle schools will follow the regular Wednesday bell schedules. High schools will follow the M,T,Th,F regular bell schedule.

Campuses Pending Clearance
Campuses pending clearance will continue in virtual learning on Wednesday, November 15.  Envirocheck continues to assess our schools pending clearance and they have been tremendous partners in this effort!   Please see previous communications on our Tustin Hangar page and shared with families via ParentSquare for additional details regarding instructional plans.

Additional Updates
With the return to on-campus instruction at these schools, more than 10,000 TUSD students will be back in a classroom tomorrow.  This incident continues to be challenging for our families and staff.  The safety of our students and staff remains at the forefront of every decision.  We also understand that the fluidity of this situation has caused frustrations and anxiety for our community.  We are grateful for the understanding and patience of our students, families and staff as we paused Tuesday in order to respond to the daily developments of the IMT and the evolving Tustin Hangar incident. 

We will continue to share daily updates with our community.  Additionally, we continue to be in communication with the Tustin Hangar Incident Management Team multiple times daily. Their updates and important information for the community are available on the North Hangar Fire Resources page.  All TUSD communications continue to be available on the Tustin Hangar Fire page on our website, which includes important links for our families and community. 

Sincerely,
Mark Johnson, Ed.D.
Superintendent