Palisades high school students set to return to class at Santa Monica Sears building

Students from the fire-damaged Palisades Charter High School will be heading to new classrooms this month, within a vacant Santa Monica department store.

In a little over one week, students who have been attending school online since the Jan. 7 Palisades Fire will make their way to class at the Colorado Avenue Sears building.

The high school's principal, Dr. Pamela Magee, along with other school, district and city leaders, shared details of the upcoming transition at a Wednesday evening town hall meeting.

"We're excited to be here with you this evening to begin preparation for our return to in-person school on Tuesday, April 22, at the historic Sears building in Santa Monica," Magee said. "Finding a location for 2,500 students is no easy task." She said it was important to keep students, staff and teachers together.

The department store has been outfitted with classrooms and learning spaces. Donations allowed the addition of furniture, internet, walls, carpet, paint, air conditioning and signage.

"PALI HIGH" paneling covers the "Sears" branding on the front of the building over the row of glass doors where customers once walked through.

PCHS Board of Trustees Chair Sara Margiotta said the school has been working to return to in-person learning. "I'm thrilled beyond words to know that the kids are going back to class in person after spring break," she said.

Representatives from the city of Santa Monica detailed transportation options for students, noting that there is free public transit, parent-sponsored buses and carpooling.

High school administration said that food service will have meals pre-packaged and sealed for all students, and physical education will take place at Belmar Park, which they said is a short walk away.

All three Palisades schools that were burned by the Jan. 7 wildfire, including the high school, reached a milestone earlier this month of complete debris removal.

The Los Angeles Unified School District budgeted $600 million-plus towards the rebuilding of the three schools.  While Palisades Charter High School didn't fully burn down, school officials noted a significant portion of the school was either damaged or destroyed by the wildfire.

Magee said that the Sears campus, known as Pali South, would still be available at back-to-school time in August if conditions are such that it's needed. "Everyone is working diligently to make sure our site is ready, and our fingers are crossed that the environment will be ready for that next transition in the near future," she said.