Efforts Underway to Restore Power; Students Scheduled To Return September 6
By Dolores Quintana
Dr. Antonio Shelton, Superintendent of the Santa Monica-Malibu United School District (SMMUSD,) announced late on Monday, September 4, that Santa Monica High School (Samohi) classes will be canceled on Tuesday, September 5, 2023, due to an unexpected power outage caused by a major blown fuse. The disruption has prompted a collaborative effort between district personnel and a high-voltage electrical contractor, who have been tirelessly working since Saturday morning to rectify the situation and replace the damaged fuse. However, power restoration is not expected until late morning on Tuesday.
The school administration has requested that all Samohi students remain at home for the day. Essential staff members will be contacted by their supervisors and are expected to report to work as usual. The school closure encompasses the Infant Toddler Center (ITC), located on the Samohi campus.
Students enrolled in the project-based learning pathway will have their classes relocated to the Santa Monica College (SMC) campus. For specific details regarding this arrangement, students are advised to refer to emails from their respective principals.
Southern California Edison is anticipated to conduct an inspection, grant approval, and commence power restoration by late morning. Following this, the electrical systems on the campus will need to undergo a restart process, which includes air conditioning, ventilation, and technology systems, expected to take approximately one hour.
Additionally, it’s worth noting that the Samohi kitchen serves as the district’s central kitchen for all Santa Monica sites, necessitating clean-up and replenishment of refrigerated food and supplies. Students attending other Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) schools will have a regular school day on September 5. Breakfast service will continue as usual, as food items are stored on-site prior to this unforeseen outage. Lunch offerings for the day will include pizza, salads, and fruit. Special dietary items will not be available on Tuesday, and the school highly encourages families who can do so to prepare lunch for their student(s) on this day.
Parental cooperation is greatly appreciated as the school works through this challenge. Samohi student-athletes participating in afternoon games, such as tennis, girls’ flag football, and volleyball, will receive instructions from their respective coaches regarding the arrangements for their games, which are still scheduled to take place.
Unless further updates are received, both Samohi and ITC are scheduled to resume normal operations on Wednesday, September 6, following the usual Wednesday schedule. Food services will also return to Santa Monica schools on Wednesday.
