Tustin Schools Closed By Hangar Fire Set To Reopen

Students and staff at two schools in Tustin are set to return to their campuses next week — more than a month after a nearby fire at a 17-story-tall blimp hangar sent asbestos-laden debris and toxic smoke into the air.

The reopening news came in an email Thursday evening from Rina Lucchese, Tustin Unified School District’s communications director, to parents of students at Heritage Elementary School and Legacy Magnet Academy. Both schools are within a mile of the burn site.

The email said Heritage students would return Tuesday and Legacy students would return on Wednesday. But Lucchese also cautioned: "This event continues to be fluid and we will keep you updated on any new information."

Students at the two schools are currently dispersed across the district by grade level. That’s caused challenges for parents with multiple kids who’ve had to criss-cross around town for pick-ups and drop-offs.

The email announcing plans to reopen Heritage and Legacy said extra cleaning was underway, including of ducts, carpets and rugs, "out of an abundance of caution and in response to potential concerns within our community."

Testing results now available

Parents, for the first time, also received detailed information about testing carried out in November at both schools for asbestos, including lab results.

Asbestos was not detected in any of the samples — eight interior air samples and nine dust samples were taken at each school.

Results can be viewed here.

A measure of transparency

Several parents had previously told LAist they were frustrated by the district's lack of transparency around testing for toxic materials inside Tustin schools and on school grounds after the fire.

One of them, Jeff Lawrence, told LAist Thursday evening that he thought the testing seemed minimal considering the large size of Heritage elementary school, around 500 students, and numerous classrooms.

"We have neighbors that have done more extensive testing [in their homes]," Lawrence said.

Still, he said he planned to send his daughter back to the school next week.

"I think this is probably the best that I can hope for," he said.

Lawrence said he had secured an additional safety concession — replacing the school's rugs — after a district official asked for his feedback on the reopening plan.

Another parent of a Heritage student, Sean Storm, told LAist in a text message that he didn't think enough testing had been done at the schools, including of windows. Storm said he was "super concerned" about the relatively sparse information provided to parents about post-fire classroom cleaning protocols.

Lucchese, the Tustin Unified communication director, has not returned LAist's request for comment.