Morongo Unified School District schools will have classes on Friday after multi-day closure related to air quality

Update - 9/12/24:

School will be held across the district, the Morongo Unified School District announced.

"MUSD community, all schools within the District will be reopening tomorrow, September 13. Our primary concern is always the health and safety of our students and staff and we have been working closely with local health and safety officials to monitor the situation.

We understand the past two days have been challenging, and we greatly appreciate your patience and cooperation during this time. Our decision to close schools was made in an abundance of caution, and we are grateful for the community’s understanding as we navigated these unexpected circumstances.

Tomorrow all schools will be following inclement weather procedures and outdoor activities will be canceled. If there are any further updates or changes, we will communicate them promptly."

- Morongo Unified School District

Update - 9/11/24:

Morongo Unified School District announced late Wednesday night that classes would be canceled on Thursday.

Stay with News Channel 3 for updates.

Original post:

The Morongo Unified School District canceled classes on Wednesday due to air quality concerns stemming from wildfires burning across Southern California.

MUSD is the district for schools in Morongo Basin, Yucca Valley, and Twentynine Palms.

"In an abundance of caution all schools will be closed today, September 11, due to the reduced air quality from the fires to ensure the safety of our students and staff. We apologize for the inconvenience to our MUSD families. Schools will reopen tomorrow at their regular schedules"

- MUSD

Parents told News Channel 3's Luis Avila they’re glad that school was out. Many said they were concerned for their children yesterday — when they say smoke was much worse.     

In fact — parents questioning why the district didn’t close Tuesday.     

MUSD spokesperson Jene Estrada said it’s tricky to predict how conditions will look like as the day progresses.

“It’s hard to make that determination early in the morning when we don’t know how winds are going to shift and luckily right," Estrada said. "Now things have lifted a little bit but this morning air quality was deemed unhealthy in every area of the Morongo Basin.” 

SoCal Wildfires:

• Line Fire near Highland - 34,659 acres and 14% contained

Get the Latest Updates on the Line Fire Here

• Airport Fire in Trabuco Canyon, Orange County - 22,376 acres

• Bridge Fire near Camp Williams, Los Angeles County - 47,904 acres

In the Coachella Valley, wildfire smoke and ash from the Line Fire has been apparent to local residents.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District continues to extend a Wildfire Smoke Advisory due to fires burning in Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino counties.

On Tuesday, the Palm Springs Unified School District told News Channel 3's Gavin Nguyen that it is monitoring the air quality in Palm Springs, which at the time it was at a moderate level. Although a moderate level means schools can continue with outdoor activities, the district decided to move all outdoor activities indoors and canceled all outdoor sports practices.

Desert Sands Unified School District says it uses similar guidelines. It monitors the Air Quality Index (AQI), and if it falls above 200, it recommends moving all activities indoors or rescheduling them to another day.

The air quality in the Coachella Valley was listed as unhealthy for sensitive groups on Wednesday.