San Jose Experiences the Worst Air Quality in the World
Should we be in school?
Bad air quality on November 9th at Downtown San Jose (Anjanai Vallez / Lincoln Lion Tales)
Parents are usually thinking they’re sending their kids to a clean and healthy environment but do they really know how bad the air quality is in the Bay Area at this time. People are being evacuated from their homes,having problems breathing, and having irritated eyes. Schools from elementary to collage are being canceled.
In San Jose, our air quality on thursday night (November 15) was 214 which is considered very unhealthy. Today, friday (November 16) our air quality decreased by 23%. NBC news, along with KRON stated that this is the worst the air quality has ever been in the world. Students are even wearing face masks to school.
Due to bad air quality we shouldn’t be doing heavy activity. We shouldn’t stay outside for a long amount of time. The fire burned 1,667,855 acres of land and its still burning.
On November 16, The major of school districts in the Bay Area have been closed due to the poor air quality.
The following school districts have been closed:
Alameda County -All public schools will be closed Friday, Nov. 16
Antioch School District – closed Friday, Nov. 16
Bayshore Elementary School District – Closed Friday, Nov. 16
Bayshore Elementary School District – Closed Friday, Nov. 16
Bellarmine – Closed Friday, Nov. 16
Bellevue – Closed Friday, Nov. 16
Belmont-Redwood Shores School District (All schools) – Closed Friday, Nov. 16
Berkeley Unified – All public schools & departments will be closed Friday, Nov. 16
Brisbane School District – Closed Friday, Nov. 16
Burlingame School District – Closed Friday, Nov. 16
Contra Costa County – All public schools will be closed Friday, Nov. 16
Cabrillo Unified School District – Closed Friday, Nov. 16
Cal State East Bay – all campuses closed through Nov. 18
Camp Glenwood Boys Ranch Camp- Closed Friday, Nov. 16
Cañada College – (Classes and normal campus operations will resume Monday, Nov. 19)
Cinnabar School District – Closed Friday, Nov. 16
College of San Mateo – (Classes and normal campus operations will resume Monday, Nov. 19)
Dunham School District – Closed Friday, Nov. 16
Early Childhood Education Preschool and Early Start Programs, Anne Campbell Center for Children and Families – Closed Friday, Nov. 16
El Portal School (Special Education) – Closed Friday, Nov. 16
Evergreen College will be closed Friday, Nov. 16
Foothill College will be closed through Nov. 18
Foothill College Sunnyvale Center – Closed through Monday Nov. 19
Foothill De Anza Community College- Closed Nov, 16
Fremont Unified will be closed Friday, Nov. 16
Gateway and Canyon Oaks Youth Center – Closed Friday, Nov. 16
Gravenstein – Closed Friday, Nov. 16
Hillcrest School – Closed Friday, Nov. 16
Hillsborough City School District – Closed Friday, Nov. 16
Jefferson Elementary School District – Closed Friday, Nov. 16
Jefferson Union High School District – Closed Friday, Nov. 16
Lafayette School District will be closed Friday, Nov. 16
Las Lomitas Elementary School District – Closed Friday, Nov. 16
Livermore Unified School District will be closed Friday, Nov. 16
Margaret J. Kemp Girls Camp – Closed Friday, Nov. 16
Marin County- All Public Schools will be closed Friday, Nov. 16
Menlo Park City School District – Closed Friday, Nov. 16
Millbrae School District – Closed Friday, Nov. 16
Mills College and Mills College Children’s School closed Nov. 16
Mission College will be closed Friday, Nov. 16
Moreau Catholic High School will be closed Friday, Nov. 16
Mountain View Whisman School District – Closed Friday, Nov. 16
Notre Dame de Namur University, Belmont, closed Nov. 16
Oakland Unified School District will be closed Friday, Nov. 16
Oak Grove Union – Closed Friday, Nov. 16
Old Adobe School District – Closed Friday, Nov. 16
Oxford Day Academy-Closed Friday, Nov. 16
Palos Verdes School (Special Education) – Closed Friday, Nov. 16
Pittsburg Unified School District will be closed Friday, Nov. 16
Petaluma City Schools – Closed Friday, Nov. 16
Ravenswood City School District – Closed Friday, Nov. 16
Redwood City School District – Closed Friday, Nov. 16
Saint Francis High School – Closed Friday, Nov. 16
San Bruno Park School District – Closed Friday, Nov. 16
San Francisco Archdiocesan schools will be closed Friday, Nov. 16
San Francisco public schools will be closed Friday, Nov. 16
San Francisco State closed through Saturday, Nov. 17
San Jose State University, closed Nov. 16
San Mateo-Foster City School District – Closed Friday, Nov. 16
San Mateo Union High School District – Closed Friday, Nov. 16
Santa Clara University, closed through Nov. 18
Sequoia Union High School District – Closed Friday, Nov. 16
Skyline College (Classes and normal campus operations will resume Monday, Nov. 19)
Solano County- All public schools & offices will be closed Friday, Nov. 16
South San Francisco Unified School District-Closed Friday, Nov. 16
Stanford University – Classes canceled Friday, Nov. 16 (Other university operations will remain open.)
Two Rock closed on Friday Nov. 16
UC Berkeley closed through Friday, Nov. 16
UC Davis closed to all but essential staff on Friday, Nov. 16
University of San Francisco is closed on Friday Nov. 16
Walnut Creek School District will be closed Friday, Nov. 16
Waugh School District- Closed Friday, Nov. 16
Wilmar School District- Closed Friday, Nov. 16
Despite there being numerous schools and school districts closed down, San Jose Unified School District did not.
Lincoln Lion Tales asked four students how they feeling about this situation
Andrea Herrera, a junior, says, “I really don’t like the fact that we have school today while others do. We are facing the same consequences and I’ve been sick since last week, this air isn’t helping me at all. I feel worse.”
Another student, Ignacio Rosales, a senior, argues that, “They should have closed all the schools.”
Aracely Garcia, a senior, says, “It’s all bullcrap. We could die from lung problems.”
“I would perfer not to be at school while the air is unhealthy because it could affect my young lungs.” Anjanai Vallez
Here are some pictures:
Isabel Flores is a senior at Abraham Lincoln High School in San Jose, California. She is Mexican-American. Her favorite thing to do is taking pictures....
Elisa is a freshman at Lincoln High School. She was born October 16,2004. She is Latina, Mexican-American. She has long dark brown hair that shines in...
