School closings are near the bottom of the list of concerns in the Northern California wildfires at the moment, and the Orange County Register reported that activities at some schools that had been closed because of the fires are returning to a “sense of normalcy.” But other schools have been destroyed:
Students tend to animals who escaped the California inferno, while farmers fight the fire engulfing their land https://t.co/QCxP5Hivlc
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) October 14, 2017
The Latest: Fire damages Catholic high school – https://t.co/RMBePe1RYR #GoogleAlerts
— Dr. Tim Uhl (@mtcathschools) October 11, 2017
In addition, students and teachers, rich and poor, have lost their homes. The New York Times quoted a teacher who lives (lived) in Santa Rosa as saying, “I’m homeless. I need everything,” on Facebook. She said she was planning to stay with a friend for a while. “It’s a start.”
The wildfires rampaging Sonoma, Napa, Lake, and Mendocino Counties are leaving many people homeless and… https://t.co/nDzz3eP7Cz
— Glen Park Montessori (@GlenParkMontes) October 12, 2017
FIRE RAGING THROUGH CALIFORNIA'S WINE COUNTRY
And the Catholic church is standing ready to shelter the homeless. https://t.co/tQxaRN23aS— Regina Magazine (@ReginaMagOnline) October 11, 2017
Schools are closed near the fires, of course, and students will have to make up any days lost. But first things first: Where will students, teachers, and other school personnel live as they start to rebuild their lives in the wake of the fires? It will be a daunting recovery effort, and as we posted above, you can help.
Several GoFundMe pages have been established, including one for a nonprofit school for children with autism that was in the fiery path.
The Anova Center for Education is Sonoma County’s only nonprofit school for children living with autism. Nobody at the school was injured in the fire, but 120 students, ages 5 to 22, don’t have a school anymore, as it was completely destroyed.
“In addition to losing our entire campus and all of its contents, we spent two years raising $75,000 for a playground structure that was delivered a few days before the fire and burned to the ground in a box,” the school wrote on its GoFundMe page. “We will rise from the ashes and need your help to rebuild our beloved school.”
