At High Tech High, the safety and well-being of our students, staff, and families are always our top priorities. Due to concerns over the Border 2 fire in east Chula Vista, we made the decision overnight to close our schools on the Chula Vista campus today. This includes High Tech Elementary Chula Vista, High Tech Middle Chula Vista, High Tech High Chula Vista.

While there is no immediate danger to our school buildings, this decision was made out of caution. We also wanted to relieve families of the stress and uncertainty amid a rapidly evolving situation, allowing them to focus on staying safe and taking emergency precautions at home.

We are closely monitoring air quality, staying in regular communication with first responders and fire safety officials, and using monitoring and alerting applications to guide our decisions.

This situation is a reminder that being prepared is key. The San Diego County Office of Education “Wildfire Preparedness Resource Guide” includes helpful links and information. You may also consider registering your cell phone and email address with Alert San Diego to receive evacuation orders/warnings, protective actions, and disaster-related information. Listed and unlisted landlines are already included in the database and do not need to be registered.

Alert San Diego also has disaster preparedness resources for disasters San Diego is most at risk for.

During a wildfire: In the event of a fire, there are steps people can take to protect themselves from smoke and poor air quality.

• In areas where you smell smoke, it is advised that you limit physical activity and, if possible, stay indoors to limit your exposure.
• If you are bothered by smoke or sensitive to it, you should move out of it until it clears up. You can shelter inside, but if it gets smoky inside, leaving is the best idea.
• If you are advised to stay indoors, keep indoor air as clean as possible. Keep windows and doors closed unless it is extremely hot outside. Run an air conditioner if you have one, but keep the fresh-air intake closed and the filter clean to prevent outdoor smoke from getting inside. 

For now, we encourage our community to stay indoors, minimize outdoor exposure, and keep an eye on official updates.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we navigate this situation together. Stay safe!