The Eaton fire in Altadena resulted in significant losses for families, particularly affecting children like Juan Carlos Perez's daughter who lost both her home and school. The trauma has caused her to withdraw socially and seek online schooling instead of returning to in-person classes. The Aveson charter school previously provided a supportive environment for neurodivergent and gender-fluid children. The fire led to the destruction of numerous schools in the area, and ongoing displacement raises concerns about the long-term mental health effects on these students and their educational journeys.
Losing both anchors at once, Perez said, has been traumatizing for the 12-year-old. She has become increasingly withdrawn and too anxious to return to school, asking to finish the semester online.
The Aveson charter school, where he's also a board member, embraced gender-fluid and neurodivergent children who didn't always thrive in the traditional public school system.
When wildfires swept across Los Angeles county in January, thousands of children lost their homes and schools overnight, a traumatic and unprecedented disruption to their education and social lives.
Parents and educators worry that long-term displacement and uncertainty about the schools' future could have wide-ranging consequences on their children's mental health.
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