LOS ANGELES, CA – Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order on Tuesday aimed at swiftly assisting schools, students, and families in the Los Angeles region who have been affected by the devastating wildfires sweeping through Southern California.
The executive order, described by the governor’s office as an urgent step to support displaced students and bolster schools impacted by the ongoing firestorm, removes regulatory barriers to help ensure educational continuity during this crisis.
“We are using the full force of the state government to respond to the Los Angeles firestorms and ensure recovery for the thousands of residents who have been impacted by this unimaginable loss, including school-aged children,” Newsom said in a statement. “The executive order will help bring back some sense of normalcy for our youth by eliminating barriers to getting them back learning in school.”
Key provisions of the order include suspending state regulations to allow students displaced by the fires to enroll in schools outside their home districts, granting schools flexibility to operate in temporary facilities if their campuses have been damaged or destroyed, and waiving penalties for schools that are unable to meet the state’s minimum instructional time requirements due to the disaster. Additionally, the order directs state agencies to work with affected schools to develop tailored plans for serving displaced students and rebuilding damaged infrastructure.
California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond commended the move, emphasizing the importance of ensuring students can resume their education as quickly as possible despite the hardships caused by the fires. “Our impacted school communities are facing unimaginable and devastating circumstances,” Thurmond said. “We must provide students with access to the best possible educational experiences, and we will ensure that our school communities get the resources and flexibility needed to recover, rebuild and continue providing quality educational opportunities for every student.”
Newsom has signed several other executive orders in recent weeks to address the fires, including measures to expedite permitting for rebuilding and to support ongoing firefighting efforts. His actions are part of a coordinated state and local response to the wildfire crisis, which has destroyed thousands of homes and businesses and displaced more than 180,000 residents across Los Angeles County.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has also issued an executive order to expedite cleanup and rebuilding in affected areas of the city. Her order streamlines processes for debris removal and reconstruction, aiming to facilitate a faster recovery for devastated neighborhoods.
At the federal level, President Joe Biden announced $770 one-time payments for wildfire victims, in addition to committing federal resources to cover 100% of fire response costs. Biden previously pledged the federal government’s full support to assist California in its recovery efforts. Meanwhile, state and local officials have extended an invitation to President-elect Donald Trump to visit the region and survey the damage firsthand, underscoring the bipartisan urgency of the crisis response.
As the fires continue to burn, officials are racing to restore a sense of stability to the region’s students and families while ensuring that the recovery effort moves forward with speed and precision. Newsom’s executive order, alongside ongoing efforts at the local and federal levels, represents a crucial step in addressing the widespread impact of the disaster.
