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Many Napa, Sonoma Schools Staying Closed Tuesday Due To Fires

SANTA ROSA (CBS SF) – Many North Bay schools that closed Monday as a result of multiple wildfires burning in the region will remain closed Tuesday.

The wildfires have burned tens of thousands of acres in Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino counties and destroyed at least 1,500 homes and commercial structures.

Schools in the Napa Valley Unified School District, Santa Rosa City Schools District, Santa Rosa Junior College, all school districts in Sonoma County and Sonoma State University will remain closed Tuesday because of the fires.

Sonoma State University officials recommended that students go to a voluntary evacuation center at the Student Center on the Rohnert Park campus.

There is also a voluntary evacuation center at Petaluma KOA for those who do not want to stay on campus, school officials said.

Santa Rosa City Schools District officials said all schools in the city will be closed Tuesday and noted that Elsie Allen High School at 599 Bellevue Ave. and Lawrence Cook Middle School at 2480 Sebastopol Rd. are available as shelters for evacuees.

Mendocino College also said it would be canceling all classes on Tuesday.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson said he is directing California's Department of Education to work with school districts in the area so they can qualify for relief from the loss of state Average Daily Attendance student funding.

"Safety for students and school staff is a top priority," Torlakson said in a statement. "My staff will help affected school administrators through the process of applying for waivers due to school closures. Schools should not suffer financially or in any other way for putting safety first in any kind of emergency."

© Copyright 2017 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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