A multitude of wildfires surrounded Norte Vista High School; the Airport Fire, the Bridge Fire, the Line Fire, and many unnamed smaller fires. The Riverside County Firefighters posted information on the fire to their Instagram account, stating that there are strike teams working to contain the Airport Fire. It spread across 23,519 acres and is at 35% containment.
The Alvord Unified School District worked with the Riverside County Emergency Operations team to decide how to move forward.
The district stated, “The following protocols will be in place for student safety: all students will remain indoors throughout the day, except during passing periods, all outdoor activities, including athletic events, will be canceled,” in an statement released to community members.
Mutliple sports have had practices canceled, leaving teams behind on building their skills for the season. Girl’s Tennis had 3 events canceled due to the air quality. Sophomore Liliana Gonzalez feels conflicted about the cancelations.
“I’m disappointed that I don’t get to play today, but I know it’s for the better. We would be breathing pretty hard playing in the heat with the ash.” Gonzalez said.
Students were encouraged to stay home if they had a medical condition or were affected heavily by the weather and air quality outside. Some students elected to wear a mask as opposed to staying home to .
“I didn’t want to miss school and also have respiratory issues with chest pains so I wore a mask.” junior Osaro Osagie said.
There was a Change.org petition created by junior Kevin Samayoa calling for Alvord Unified School District to close schools until weather and air quality conditions are safe. The petition gained traction with 3,638 signatures before closing, more than double the number of students on campus. Students shared it across social media to get their peers to support it. Currently, the District has not responded directly.
“I support the petition because there are a lot of students with asthma and the ash could damage their lungs.” said sophomore Cherish Lynn.