Malibu schools closed Monday due to unsafe roads, mudflows in Palisades Fire burn area

All Malibu-area schools will be closed on Monday due to the risk posed by unsafe road condition in the area following heavy rain near the Palisades Fire burn scar. 

The decision was announced late Sunday evening in a letter sent to students and staff from Dr. Antonio Shelton, the Superintendent of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, and Mr. Isaac Burgess, the executive director of Malibu Pathway & Secondary Schools. 

"We have been in communication with the City of Malibu, the Los Hills Sheriff's Captain, Supervisor Lindsay Horvath's office and the Los Angeles County Public Works Department, throughout the day and based on their updates and warnings regarding roads, and mudflow issues and continued rain, the decision was made to close schools tomorrow with the safety of students and staff as our top priority," the letter said. 

Monday's closure includes Webster Elementary School and the Malibu Elementary, Middle and High Schools.

"We are as disappointed as you are in this outcome following our discussions with local partners today," officials said. 

Just before the message was sent to the community, Caltrans and California Highway Patrol issued a series of road closures in the surrounding area of the Palisades Fire burn scar due to mudflows that blocked roadways, including Palisades Drive and Topanga Canyon Boulevard. 

School officials say that they plan to continue monitoring the situation to determine what their plans are for Tuesday's school day. 

Santa Monica schools will remain open, officials noted. 

The news comes as Canyon Charter Elementary School prepares to open its campus for the first time since Jan. 7, when the deadly Palisades Fire erupted to burn more than 23,000 acres and destroy thousands of buildings, including some schools in the area.