Road Closures and Flood Warnings Force the School District’s Hand
All four public schools in Malibu will be closed on Thursday, Feb. 13, due to road closures and severe weather conditions, with a possible extension of the closure to Friday, Feb. 14, according to the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District release of the latest letter from SMMUSD Superintendent, Dr. Antonio Shelton and Mr. Isaac Burgess, Executive Director, Malibu Pathway & Secondary Schools.
The affected schools include Webster Elementary, Malibu Elementary, Malibu Middle, and Malibu High School. The district cited safety concerns due to planned closures of Malibu Canyon Road from Thursday, Feb. 13 at 1:00 a.m. through Friday, Feb. 14 at 6:00 p.m., along with ongoing closures of Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) and Topanga Canyon. These closures will make it unsafe for staff and buses to reach the schools.
“We made the difficult decision to close our schools due to the safety risks posed by these road closures and anticipated severe weather,” said district officials in a statement. “We will provide an update on Thursday evening regarding the decision for Friday.”
The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Watch for Malibu from Thursday at 1 p.m. to Friday at 4:00 a.m., with heavy rainfall expected to impact recent burn areas from the Franklin and Palisades Fires. Officials warn of potential flash flooding and debris flows, which could pose life-threatening conditions.
The district outlined its school closure criteria, which include:
- Fewer than two major roads open in and out of Malibu
- Power or gas outages before the start of school
- Schools located in evacuation zones
- Unsafe school site conditions
- Hazardous air quality
- Particularly dangerous fire weather
- Advisories from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department to stay off roads
- Non-functional communication systems during red flag warnings
The district acknowledged the challenges faced by families, students, and staff due to recent closures but emphasized that safety remains the top priority. School administrators and teachers will reach out to families with information on remote learning during the closure.
Community members are encouraged to monitor updates from the City of Malibu at https://malibucity.org/AlertCenter and listen to local Malibu radio station KBUU FM for the latest weather and safety information.
For additional weather updates, visit the National Weather Service at https://www.weather.gov/lox.
