Malibu students and parents press board for local control, say district 'doesn’t see' Malibu needs

Several Malibu High students and many Malibu parents used the board’s public‑comment period to press for local control and to document safety and remediation concerns tied to recent wildfires.

Darcy O'Herlihy, a Malibu High sophomore, told the board: "For years, we've been a part of Santa Monica Malibu United School District...we don't feel united. We don't feel seen." She said Malibu faces wildfire risks, evacuation challenges and different daily realities than Santa Monica and argued for "local leadership that reflects Malibu values." Parker Kaplan, the sophomore class president, described repeated problems — school closures, power loss, a lack of emergency generators and communication failures — and said students attend school ‘‘in fear’’ because they feel unprepared for wildfire events.

Other speakers documented operational shortcomings at Malibu campuses after the Palisades fire: parents said remediation testing at Webster Elementary was delayed and limited in scope, classrooms still smelled of smoke, bathrooms and power infrastructure experienced longstanding failures, and that communications to families during outages were inconsistent. Several parents urged short‑term steps to improve responsiveness, including a local emergency coordinator or a transitional delegation of authority to manage Malibu‑specific permit and facility issues.

Board members listened without engaging during general public comment; several trustees later reiterated that unification work and mediation workstreams are ongoing and that staff will continue to coordinate with Financial Oversight and the community.