State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Launches Campaign to Support Schools Affected by Garden Grove Chemical Tank Emergency

SACRAMENTO—In the aftermath of evacuations in Garden Grove due to the chemical storage tank emergency, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond is urging Californians to come together in support of impacted students, families, educators, and school staff. Tax-deductible contributions can be made through the SupplyBank.org Disaster Relief Fund to help provide much-needed assistance.

Multiple schools and thousands of students and staff in Orange County were evacuated due to the ongoing emergency, which is still being mitigated. Garden Grove Unified has requested assistance to support affected families, including students and families experiencing homelessness who attended the evacuated schools.

“Our school communities and families in Garden Grove need support as emergency crews address this dangerous chemical tank incident,” said Superintendent Thurmond. “During moments of crisis, Californians continue to show extraordinary resilience, compassion, and unity. We are grateful to the emergency personnel working to protect lives and public safety, and we must continue coming together to support all those impacted as the community works to recover.”

To help schools avoid funding losses due to closures caused by emergencies or natural disasters, the California Department of Education (CDE) is encouraging charter schools, school districts, and county offices of education to submit J-13A waiver requests. J-13A waivers are used in cases of emergency school closures to prevent the loss of attendance-based funding. More information can be found on the CDE Form J-13A web page.

Superintendent Thurmond and the CDE have partnered with the nonprofit SupplyBank.org to collect and distribute donations and emergency resources to school communities that experience situations such as the chemical storage tank emergency in Garden Grove. Since 2019, Superintendent Thurmond has led efforts to secure thousands of donations in response to natural disasters, providing critical support to impacted families and staff. These contributions have funded essentials such as housing assistance, gas cards, food, water, clothing, and school supplies. Through these initiatives, dozens of school communities have received aid following disasters, including wildfires, floods, and landslides.

To better address the growing frequency of crises, Superintendent Thurmond established the Emergency Services Team within the CDE. This team ensures schools receive the emergency support they need to navigate disasters such as fires, earthquakes, and floods.

Additional emergency response and recovery resources for schools can be found on the CDE School Disaster and Emergency Management web page. For questions regarding emergency response efforts or waiver submissions, contact the CDE Emergency Services Office at emergencyservices@cde.ca.gov.

# # # #

Tony Thurmond — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5602, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100