Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
Watch Live

Education

Calexico Schools Reopen After Month-Long Break Due To Quake

The Calexico freeway sign is pictured in this undated photo.
The Calexico freeway sign is pictured in this undated photo.
Calexico Schools Reopen After Month-Long Break Due To Quake
Calexico Unified school kids return to classes on Wednesday after spending the past month without classroom instruction. The Easter earthquake in April forced all Calexico schools to shutdown until now.

Calexico Unified school kids return to classes on Wednesday after spending the past month without classroom instruction. The Easter earthquake in April had forced all Calexico schools to shut down until now.

The Calexico Unified School District includes only 13 schools and about 9,000 students.

All those students were stranded at home after the 7.2 Easter earthquake, which caused so much damage that schools were deemed too dangerous and hazardous to use.

Advertisement

Traces of asbestos were detected due to the earthquake. Exposed electrical wires, broken water and gas lines, cracks in ceilings and roofs, and ruptured air conditioning units also posed serious problems.

School officials provided off-site tutoring and posted assignments online. Students from low-income families who rely on free school meals received food at alternative locations. Two schools, which sustained the most damage, remain closed.

Calexico Unified will get $4.5 million in state emergency funding for repairs and construction. However, damages are estimated at $10 to $15 million.