North Hangar Fire

Dear TUSD Families, 

We want to express our sincere thanks for the many ways in which our community has stepped up throughout the Tustin Hangar incident to support our students, staff and each other.  While we have made significant progress in getting all of our students back for on-campus learning, the impacts of this incident continue, not only within our district, but throughout the entire Tustin community.

We continue to work with the City of Tustin and its lead partner in recovery efforts, Innovative Emergency Management (IEM), regarding the safe reopening of Heritage Elementary and Legacy Magnet Academy.  This includes daily conversations with the Orange County Health Care Agency, Environmental Protection Agency, South Coast AQMD, Orange County Fire Authority, and certified asbestos consulting firms and debris removal specialists.  These subject area experts and their extensive knowledge in this matter are helping to guide our decision-making regarding the safe reopening of Heritage and Legacy.

The timeline regarding the reopening of these campuses continues to be dependent on the current status of the hangar site as a part of our thoughtful reopening plan.  IEM shares daily updates with the community at www.tustinca.org.  As progress is made on securing the hangar site and the removal of the hangar doors, we will share an updated timeline for reopening with our community.

We remain grateful to our staff, students and community for your grace, support and resiliency throughout this incident.  The safety of our students and staff remains our top priority and we will continue to make every decision with this in mind.

With gratitude,
Rina Lucchese
Director, Communications and Community Engagement

Dear TUSD Families,

We hope that you had the opportunity to spend time with family and friends during this Thanksgiving Recess.  We want to share an update with you regarding the continued work taking place in response to the impact of the Tustin Hangar incident on our schools.

Throughout this Thanksgiving recess, we have continued to be in daily contact with the Tustin Incident Management Team (IMT) as they work with certified asbestos consulting firms to clear campuses for the safe return of students and staff.  We remain grateful for our ongoing partnership with the IMT, in addition to the City of Tustin, Tustin Police Department, Orange County Fire Authority, Orange County Health Care Agency and the South Coast Air Quality Management Team as they prioritize the safe reopening of our schools.

CLEARED SCHOOLS
Today, Beswick Elementary, Hillview High School, the Adult Transition Program, Nelson Elementary and Sycamore Magnet Academy were notified that they have been cleared for a return to on-campus instruction on Monday, November 27.  A general cleaning of these campuses has begun in preparation for the return of  students and staff at these sites.  The current status of all TUSD campuses can be found on the school status page on our website.

HERITAGE ELEMENTARY AND LEGACY MAGNET ACADEMY
In addition, a plan for Heritage Elementary School and Legacy Magnet Academy students, staff and families was shared this evening.  

Heritage Elementary classrooms will be hosted at other TUSD elementary sites beginning on Wednesday, November 29.  Students will remain with their class and teacher as follows:

GRADE	CAMPUS
Preschool AM	Ladera
Preschool PM	Nelson
TK	Ladera
K & K/1 Combo	Peters Canyon
1st	Ladera
2nd & 1/2 Combo	Myford
3rd	Red Hill
4th	Hicks Canyon
5th	Tustin Ranch

Legacy Magnet Academy students and staff in grades 6-8 will be hosted at Utt Middle School, while 9-12 grade students will be hosted at the Education Support Center (ESC) District facility, located at 1151 San Juan St in Tustin.

GRADE	CAMPUS
6-8	Utt Middle School
9-12	Education Support Center(ESC)

We are grateful to the staff and families at these elementary sites, in addition to Utt Middle School, Tustin Connect and the staff at the ESC for their willingness to welcome impacted students, staff and families.  The warm response and many ways in which we have already seen our community come together is nothing short of inspiring. 

Thank you to each and every one of our TUSD families for your ongoing patience and support as we continue to address the impact of this incident on our students, staff and community.

With gratitude,
Rina Lucchese
Director, Communications and Community Engagement

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND RESOURCES
Tustin Hangar Incident Management Team (IMT) website
TUSD Tustin Hangar Fire page
IMT Call Center: 714.426.2444 (7AM to 7PM daily)

 

Dear TUSD Families, 

We hope that you have had the opportunity to take a moment with family and friends during this Thanksgiving Recess.  We want to share an update with you regarding the continued work taking place in response to the impact of the Tustin Hangar incident on our schools.

Prior to leaving for Thanksgiving Recess, we shared an updated list of campuses cleared by the certified asbestos consulting firm, Envirocheck, for a return to on-campus instruction.  These campuses are indicated on the school status page on our website.

We continue to be in daily contact with the Tustin Incident Management Team (IMT) as they work with certified asbestos consulting firms to clear campuses for the safe return of students and staff.  We are grateful for our ongoing partnership with the IMT, in addition to the City of Tustin, Tustin Police Department, Orange County Fire Authority, Orange County Health Care Agency and the South Coast Air Quality Management Team as they prioritize the safe reopening of our schools.

Tustin High School has been cleared and is currently awaiting a general cleaning.  Over the coming days, we are hopeful that additional campuses will be cleared including Beswick Elementary School, Nelson Elementary School, Hillview High School and Sycamore Magnet Academy.  

Furthermore, we continue to work on plans for both Heritage Elementary School and Legacy Magnet Academy students, staff and families to return to in-person instruction next week.  There are a number of details and logistics being coordinated and finalized, and we will continue to share updates through the weekend.

Thank you for your ongoing patience and support throughout our response to the impact of this situation.  Our top priority remains the safe return of all of our students and staff to in-person instruction.  We are committed to ongoing communication with you as we prepare for the return from Thanksgiving Recess.

In appreciation, 
Rina Lucchese
Director, Communications and Community Engagement

Dear TUSD Families,

As we move into the Thanksgiving Recess, we want to express our deepest appreciation for your collective grace and patience during this time.  The Tustin Hangar incident and its impact on our community continues to be challenging.

CLEARED CAMPUSES
This evening, we would like to report that Utt Middle School, Hicks Canyon Elementary, Tustin Ranch Elementary and Tustin Connect High School/Education Support Center (ESC) have been cleared and will resume on-campus instruction when we return from recess, November 27. Campuses cleared by the certified asbestos consulting firm, Envirocheck, have been updated on the school status page.

CAMPUSES PENDING CLEARANCE
As previously shared, Envirocheck is working diligently to clear our schools that are pending clearance.  Please know that we will continue to receive information from Envirocheck throughout the Thanksgiving Recess and we will share updates as they become available next week. We are committed to working with our local partners to get additional campuses cleared to allow more students and staff to safely return to on-campus instruction following the break. 

Thank you for your ongoing patience and support as we continue to address the impact of this incident on our students, staff and community.

With gratitude, 
Mark Johnson, Ed.D.
Superintendent

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND RESOURCES
Tustin Hangar Incident Management Team (IMT) website
TUSD Tustin Hangar Fire page
IMT Call Center: 714.426.2444 (7AM to 7PM daily)

Dear TUSD Families, 

As we near the Thanksgiving Recess, we continue to be grateful to our community for your ongoing support as we deal with the challenging impacts of the Tustin Hangar incident on our students, staff and families.  We appreciate your continued partnership as we remain focused on the safe return to on-campus instruction for our students and staff.

CLEARED CAMPUSES
This afternoon, we are happy to report that Estock Elementary and Tustin Connect K-8 have been cleared and will resume on-campus instruction tomorrow, November 17.  Yesterday evening, Heideman Elementary School was also cleared for a return to on-campus instruction today, November 16.  We were excited to have Principal Deanna Parks share this information with the Heideman community.  Campuses cleared by the certified asbestos consulting firm, Envirocheck, have been updated on school status page.

CAMPUSES PENDING CLEARANCE
Campuses pending clearance will continue in virtual learning on Friday, November 17.  Envirocheck is working diligently to clear our schools pending clearance.  These campuses, with the exception of Legacy and Heritage, have been assessed and are currently awaiting results.  Please see previous communications on our Tustin Hangar page and shared with families via ParentSquare for additional details regarding instructional plans.  We hope to have additional schools cleared tomorrow, as well as over the Thanksgiving Recess, to allow more students and staff to safely return to on-campus instruction following the break. 

Thank you for your continued support and patience throughout this challenging situation.

With gratitude,
Rina Lucchese
Director, Communications and Community Engagement

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND RESOURCES
Tustin Hangar Incident Management Team (IMT) website
TUSD Tustin Hangar Fire page
IMT Call Center: 714.426.2444 (7AM to 7PM daily)

Dear TUSD Families,

Thank you for your continued support and patience.  We understand that the Tustin Hangar incident and its impact on our community have been extremely challenging.  We appreciate your continued partnership as we remain focused on the safe return to on-campus instruction for our students and staff.

CLEARED CAMPUSES
Earlier this morning, Beckman High School was cleared for a return to on-campus instruction tomorrow, November 16.  We were excited to have Principal Donnie Rafter share this information with the Beckman community.  Campuses cleared by the certified asbestos consulting firm, Envirocheck, have been updated on our school status page.

CAMPUSES PENDING CLEARANCE
Campuses pending clearance will continue in virtual learning on Thursday, November 16.  Envirocheck is working diligently to continue assessing our schools pending clearance.  Please see previous communications on our Tustin Hangar page and shared with families via ParentSquare for additional details regarding instructional plans.

We encourage families to refer to the Tustin Hangar Incident Management Team website for the most current information.  In addition, 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.

The safety and well-being of our students and staff continue to be at the forefront of every decision we make.  We are grateful for your ongoing support as we continue to work through this difficult situation.  

In appreciation,
Rina Lucchese
Director, Communications and Community Engagement  

 

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

Dear TUSD Families:

It is with a heavy heart that I share tonight’s update.  Throughout the weekend, we shared a detailed plan with families regarding reopening schools for on-campus instruction following clearance by the certified asbestos consulting firm.  Since this communication was provided and additional details have been shared, we have received new information from the Incident Management Team (IMT).  The IMT is under the direction of the Orange County Fire Authority and works in coordination with the City of Tustin.  

Due to the concerns of the recent fire activity at the Tustin Hangar and as shared in the incident report posted today, the IMT is currently preparing for the controlled and systematic teardown of the hangar at a date to be determined.  Based on this information and out of an abundance of caution regarding the safety of our students and staff, we have made the difficult decision to pause our reopening plan.  As such, it is disappointing to share that all schools will participate in virtual learning tomorrow, November 14. Virtual instructional plans will be communicated by school principals later this evening.  

Please know that based upon this evolving situation, it is possible that all TUSD schools will finish this week in virtual instruction.  We will communicate updates as soon as we know more information.  

We appreciate the continued patience and support of our parents and community as we work through this challenging situation.  We understand the difficulty this news may present to our families.  Please know that the safety and well-being of our students and staff is at the forefront of every decision that we make.  We are also grateful for our continued partnership with OCHCA, South Coast AQMD, the City of Tustin and the IMT as they help to lead this situation.

Sincerely, 
Mark Johnson, Ed.D.
Superintendent

Dear TUSD Families,

We want to share additional updates with you as we continue to address the impacts of the Tustin Hangar incident on our district and community.  As shared last night, we have developed a plan for reopening in collaboration with the Orange County Health Care Agency (OCHCA), South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD), the City of Tustin, and Envirocheck, our certified asbestos consulting firm.  This plan is fluid and all updates will be made in consultation with environmental experts and partners.

As shared in our message sent November 11, our campuses were color-categorized in order to determine a starting point for our certified asbestos consulting firm, Envirocheck, to begin testing on campuses.  We will now identify campuses as either cleared or pending clearance.  We have included a school status page on our website that will continue to be updated as Envirocheck clears schools for a return to on-campus instruction.

We are pleased to report that Envirocheck has cleared several TUSD campuses.  All campuses that have been cleared by Envirocheck will undergo a general cleaning prior to the return to on-campus instruction.  Schools that are pending clearance by Envirocheck will begin instruction on Tuesday as detailed below.  Please know that we anticipate updates regarding school status throughout the evening and into tomorrow morning and will communicate any changes.

INSTRUCTIONAL PLAN

Monday, November 13 Non-student Day
Monday, November 13 is a non-student day for all TUSD students and no students will be on campus. 

Tuesday, November 14 Instructional Plan for Cleared Schools
Beginning Tuesday, November 14, all cleared schools will resume on campus instruction. 

Campuses cleared include:

Benson Elementary School
Foothill High School
Guin Foss Elementary School
Hewes Middle School
Loma Vista Elementary School
Myford Elementary School
Red Hill Elementary School

Tuesday, November 14 Instructional Plan for Schools Pending Clearance
Beginning Tuesday, November 14, schools pending clearance will provide virtual learning for grades 3-12. Students in grades TK-2 will work independently at home on a learning packet. Details regarding the distribution of learning packets will be communicated with families by Tuesday morning from your school principal. Teachers from campuses awaiting clearance will be available to respond to parent questions during the hours of 8AM-2:30PM via email. 

Students in grades 3-5 from schools pending clearance, will participate in daily virtual learning from 8:30-10:30AM, with additional independent work assigned.  Teachers will be sending a Google Meet link via ParentSquare on Monday, November 13.  Teachers will also be available for office hours to support students from 1-2:30PM.  

Students in grades 6-12 from schools pending clearance will follow their school’s minimum day bell schedule. Please see your school’s website for minimum-day schedules. Virtual meeting links for each class will be posted in a student’s Aeries class schedule. 

FOOD DISTRIBUTIONS
Our Food Services team continues to make arrangements for food distribution locations for our district.  We will share detailed information as soon as this is available.

ADDITIONAL UPDATES
Please know that we anticipate updates regarding school status throughout the evening and into tomorrow morning.  We will update our school status page daily.  In addition, we continue to be in communication with the Tustin Hangar Incident Management Team multiple times each day. 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.

We appreciate the continued patience and support of our parents and community as we work through this situation.  We are also grateful for our continued partnership with OCHCA, South Coast AQMD, the City of Tustin and Orange County Fire Authority.

Sincerely, 
Mark Johnson, Ed.D.
Superintendent

Dear TUSD Families, 

We want to share an update with you as we continue to address the impacts of the North Hangar fire on our district and community.  We continue to be grateful to our students, families, staff, community, and partners for your patience, understanding, and support in working through the impacts of the North Hangar fire.

Please know that the information and plan below is preliminary and could change based upon new information over the next 24 hours.  However, we want our families and staff to know the current situation and planning regarding TUSD schools.  In addition, we want you to know that this current plan has been developed in collaboration with the Orange County Health Care Agency (OCHCA), South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD), the City of Tustin and Envirocheck, our certified asbestos consulting firm.  This plan is fluid and all updates will be made in consultation with environmental experts and partners.

Before getting into the plan, the OCHCA urges the public to avoid touching any debris that may have come from the North Hangar fire.  Additional precautions from OCHCA can be found in their November 8 press release.

Monday Non-Student Day for All TUSD Campuses
Monday, November 13 is a non-student day for all Tustin Unified School District campuses and no students will be on campus.  

Reopening Plan
We have secured a certified asbestos consulting firm, Envirocheck, to conduct testing at all TUSD campuses.  Envirocheck is well-respected in the field of environmental inspection and analysis and we are grateful for their partnership.  Their expertise in testing and remediation of environmental concerns will guide our next steps for reopening our campuses.  Our top priority remains getting our students and staff safely back on campus.  

Campuses have been color categorized based upon their distance from the burn site and the presence of fire debris, which was identified initially by staff.  Please know that the certified asbestos consulting firm, Envirocheck, are the environmental experts and will conduct their own independent site inspections and evaluations of all TUSD campuses.  A detailed table and district map are included below.  

Campuses located farthest from the fire with no potential fire debris are categorized as GREEN. 

Campuses closer to the burn site, where at least one piece of potential fire debris was initially found on campus by staff are categorized as YELLOW.

Campuses in the immediate proximity of the burn site are categorized as RED.

GREEN SCHOOLS (farthest from burn site + no potential fire debris initially found on campus by staff)	YELLOW SCHOOLS (closer proximity to burn site + at least one piece of potential fire debris initially found on campus by staff)	RED SCHOOLS (immediate proximity to burn site)
Arroyo Elementary School Foothill High School Hewes Middle School Red Hill Elementary School Loma Vista Elementary School Orchard Hills School Pioneer Middle School Hicks Canyon Elementary School Myford Elementary School Guin Foss Elementary School Benson Elementary School Ladera Elementary School Peters Canyon Elementary School Tustin Memorial Academy Columbus Tustin Middle School	Nelson Elementary School Tustin Ranch Elementary School Utt Middle School Tustin High School Hillview High School Adult Transition Program Sycamore Magnet Academy Beswick Elementary School Beckman High School Tustin Connect High School Adult Education Estock Elementary School  Tustin Connect Elementary School Heideman Elementary School	Legacy Magnet Academy Heritage Elementary School

 

Campus Testing by Certified Asbestos Consulting Firm
At each of our schools, a certified asbestos consulting firm, Envirocheck, will conduct on-campus testing in addition to on-site inspections to verify the presence of fire debris.  Out of an abundance of caution following Envirocheck’s clearance, a general cleaning on all hard surfaces will be conducted by our Maintenance and Operations team prior to campuses reopening for in-person instruction. 

Additional Updates
As schools are cleared for a return to in-person instruction by Envirocheck, parents will be notified through ParentSquare.  Please know that we continue to be in communication with city and county officials multiple times each day. All communications are also available on the Tustin Hangar Fire page on our website, which includes important links for our families and community.  The City of Tustin continues to share updates for the community as well, which can be found on the City of Tustin website.

We appreciate the continued patience and support of our parents and community as we work through this situation.  We are also grateful for our continued partnership with the City of Tustin, OCHCA and South Coast AQMD.

Sincerely,
Mark Johnson, Ed.D.
Superintendent

Dear TUSD Families, 

I want to begin by sharing a heartfelt thank you to our students, families, staff, community and partners for your patience, understanding, guidance and support in working through the impacts of the North Hangar 1 fire.  This is a complex and evolving situation, and we continue to be in ongoing communication with city and county agencies.  Current recommendations for the general public from the County of Orange can be found on the Tustin Hangar Fire Incident dedicated webpage.

School Closure November 9
As a reminder, late last night, in response to South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD)’s findings regarding debris from the Tustin Legacy area, we made the difficult decision to close all campuses today, November 9.  We made this decision in coordination with and the support of the Orange County Health Care Agency (OCHCA).  We appreciate the cooperation of our staff and families regarding today’s closure. This heartbreaking situation has understandably caused a range of emotions across our community.

At this time, our team is working and planning with OCHCA, officials from the City of Tustin, and the Tustin Police Department.  In addition, we are in numerous daily meetings with SCAQMD, OC Emergency Operation Center and OC Fire Authority.  Please see SCAQMD's communication regarding debris from the Tustin Air Base Hangar Fire showing the presence of asbestos.  

Testing and Remediation
In addition, we have secured experts (Certified Asbestos Consultant - CAC), who specialize in testing and remediation of environmental concerns, to help guide our next steps and future decisions.  Furthermore, our Maintenance and Operations staff continues to conduct an ongoing visual assessment of our school grounds, providing critical information to aid the work of these environmental consultants.

Information from OCHCA
Information regarding the fire is also available for families and community members through the Orange County Health Care Agency hotline at (714) 628-7085 or by visiting their website at https://ocgov.com/page/tustin-hangar-fire-incident.  OCHCA has shared specific recommendations for the public when they encounter ash and debris.

Additional Updates
Please know that we will be in communication with city and county officials throughout this evening.  Additional updates, including the status of school for Monday, will continue to be shared through ParentSquare and across regular communication channels, as they become available.  Moreover, we have created a Tustin Hangar Fire page on our website, which includes all current communications and important links for our families and community.  The City of Tustin will also share updated information later this evening, which can be found on the City of Tustin website.

Thank you, 
Mark Johnson, Ed.D.
Superintendent

Dear TUSD Families,

Late tonight, in a conference call with multiple agencies regarding the North Hangar 1 Fire, South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) made us aware that debris found in the Tustin Legacy area tested greater than 1% positive for asbestos.  

With student and staff safety being our highest priority and in collaboration with the City of Tustin and the Orange County Health Care Agency (OCHCA), we made the decision to close all school campuses within Tustin Unified School District tomorrow, Thursday, November 9.  For tomorrow, no instruction will take place throughout the district.  In addition, all preschools and daycares (Catalyst and YMCA) in TUSD will be closed tomorrow.  

Recommendations from OCHCA have been shared in their communication and include limiting exposure by remaining indoors with windows and doors closed; avoiding touching ash or debris from burned structures; avoiding vigorous activity; and running air conditioner or air purifier.  In addition, SCAQMD has shared resources regarding wildfire smoke and ash health and safety tips. 

We apologize for the timing of this email and understand how this greatly impacts students, staff and families.  We are awaiting additional information from SCAQMD.  Please be assured that we will communicate with you throughout the weekend regarding important updates, as more information becomes available.

Sincerely,

Mark Johnson, Ed.D.

Superintendent