Destroyed Pacific Palisades school seeks temporary learning space for students after devastating wildfire

Educators at a Pacific Palisades school are scrambling to find a temporary learning location after the blaze severely damaged the campus.

Officials at Palisades Charter High School said they are desperately seeking a large space where students can gather for lessons as the community works to rebuild.

“The whole student body devastated,” said Charlie Speiser, a student at Palisades Charter High. “To see the community and the school burned down is just a horrific sight."

The school, which is not a part of the L.A. Unified School District, said they will need all the help they can get. They are searching for large indoor or outdoor spaces that can be leased or donated for the school’s use.

The space would allow students and staff to safely gather for classes as the campus rebuilds and the next steps are figured out. The high school serves nearly 3,000 students from more than 110 zip codes, according to the school's website.

“We don’t want these kids to be scattered to other school districts and we don’t want them to be on Zoom,” said Negeen Ben-Cohen, a parent who is working on the school’s temporary relocation. “We are a charter, but we’re a public school. We don’t have an endowment or tuition dollars that we can repurpose to pay rent on another building right now to get back on our feet.”

“Our primary goal is to keep our community united during this challenging time, enabling students to continue their education alongside their friends, teachers, and peers,” read a statement posted to the school’s Facebook page.

Officials at Palisades Charter High are searching for:

• Temporary classroom spaces or campuses available for lease or donation
• Large indoor and outdoor spaces suitable for hosting students and teachers
• Support from local organizations that can assist in logistics and operations
• Volunteers to help with moving. setup, and coordination Access to athletic practice areas in the vicinity

“It's a really hard time that we're going through right now,” Speiser said. “We need emergency funding because it is so expensive. Although we're so spread apart, I've never seen our community more bonded."

Anyone with available spaces can email PCHSrecovery@palihigh.org. Donations to the school can be made here.