School Districts Respond as Chemical Leak Crisis Continues

Editor's Note: This is a developing story and we will continue to provide updates on how schools are being impacted. Follow us on Instagram for the latest reporting. 

BREAKING NEWS: On May 25, Orange County Fire Authority officials reported that the threat of an explosion had been eliminated after an overnight operation. Watch the video here. Please note: Evacuation orders remain in place.

An ongoing hazardous materials situation at an aerospace company in Garden Grove forced some schools to close in Orange County on Friday, May 22, and many campuses will remain shut down this upcoming week.

Campuses in multiple school districts are impacted including in the Garden Grove Unified School District, Westminster School District, Magnolia School District, and Savanna School District. Families in the Los Alamitos Unified School District are among the evacuees.

What's happening with the hazmat situation?

The incident at GKN Aerospace on Western Avenue started the evening of May 21. It involves a malfunction in a tank filled with around 7,000 gallons of a toxic and flammable material known as methyl methacrylate that is used in plastics manufacturing. The tank is overheating and at risk of either leaking or exploding, posing a serious health threat to the community, according to the Orange County Fire Authority and other local emergency responders and health officials. Around 40,000 people living within a few miles of the facility are under evacuation orders, affecting neighborhoods in Garden Grove, Westminster, Buena Park, Stanton, Cypress and Anaheim.

According to an update from the OCFA early Sunday, May 24, crews discovered a "potential crack" in the impacted tank and responders are hopeful it could be relieving pressure to possibly reduce the chance of an explosion. “With this new information, it could change our trajectory and our strategy to this event,” Interim Fire Chief TJ McGovern McGovern said in the update. “Last night, this operation that we did gave us positive intel to make educated decisions today in a positive light. We’re not there yet, but this was a step in [the] right direction,” he added. (Click here to see the latest updates from OCFA.)

What is happening at local schools?

Garden Grove Unified School District

In brief: 12 of the district's 67 schools will remain closed, online learning offered, and high school graduation ceremonies will go as planned

After evacuating and closing 12 campuses on May 22, the GGUSD announced on May 24 that those campuses will remain closed through the last day of the 2025-26 school year, which is Wednesday, May 27.

"The safety of our students, staff, and families remains our top priority," reads the May 24 update on the GGUSD website.

The impacted campuses include:

• Alamitos Intermediate
• Barker Elementary
• Bryant Elementary
• Bell Intermediate 
• Carver Early Childhood Education Center
• Enders Elementary
• Garden Park Elementary 
• Lawrence Elementary
• Pacifica High School
• Patton Elementary
• Rancho Alamitos High School
• Wakeham Elementary

Wakeham and Patton elementary schools are located less than a half mile from the hazmat incident. Should an explosion occur, the edge of Wakeham's campus could be in the “moderate damage blast zone,” the O.C. Register reported based on a map provided by emergency officials.

School is not in session Monday, May 25 due to observance of the Memorial Day Holiday. Distance learning will be offered to impacted schools on Tuesday and Wednesday, the final days of the school year.

"We know these circumstances may make it difficult for students who have been evacuated to attend or complete work, and neither grades nor attendance will not be negatively impacted. Our priority is the safety, well-being, and stability of our students and families," GGUSD Public Information Officer Abby Broyles wrote in a statement emailed to Spotlight Schools.

Grab-and-go meals will be distributed at Hare High School on May 26-27 from 12 to 1 p.m. for evacuated students and families in need, according to the district, which is working to expand the meal distribution program.

There are two high schools in the evacuation zone. The district stated that graduation ceremonies will go on as planned. Rancho Alamitos High School will recognize the Class of 2026 at 3:00 p.m. on May 27 at Bolsa Grande High School. Pacifica High School will celebrate it's graduating seniors on May 27 at 6:30 p.m., also at Bolsa Grande High School.

"Garden Grove Unified School District continues to work closely with local emergency responders and public safety officials managing the response to the industrial chemical leak impacting portions of western Garden Grove," Broyles wrote. "Our hearts remain with the families who have been displaced or affected by evacuation orders, and we are committed to supporting our students, staff, and community during this challenging time."

GGUSD's Los Amigos High School is being used as an emergency shelter for evacuated residents.

Westminster School District

In brief: Eight campuses initially affected in the TK-8 district; families told to prepare for online learning

In a May 24 update, The Westminster School District said two of its campuses remain in the mandatory evacuation zone and are "not currently accessible." They are:

• Fryberger Elementary
• Sequoia Elementary

The WSD advised that families with students at the two impacted schools will be offered online learning. They should receive communication with "specific instructions for online learning and information on safe onsite class locations by Monday, May 25, 2026."  

Fryberger, Sequoia and six other WSD schools were initially evacuated on Friday, May 22. All WSD campuses outside of Fryberger and Sequoia "are considered safe for normal operations," according to the district.

The WSD said its team is attending daily OCFA Incident Command Center meetings and will pass along information that has been verified through "official EOC channels." 

WSD is providing updates on its website and social media. The WSD Board of Education is scheduled to hold a regular meeting on May 28. The district's last day of school is June 12.

Savanna School District

In brief: The district evacuated two campuses on the final day of the 2025-26 school year; hoping to reopen for summer programs

The hazmat situation coincided with the Savanna School District's last day of the school year at its four campuses serving nearly 1,800 students in Anaheim, Buena Park, Cypress and Stanton. Students at Cerritos and Hansen schools had to be evacuated to the other two campuses, Holder and Reid schools, during the school day.

In an Instagram post published on May 23, the district thanked staff, families, students and the Anaheim Police Department for their cooperation during the emergency. "While this was certainly not the ending to the 2025-26 school year that any of us had planned for, we are incredibly grateful that our students, staff, and families remained safe throughout the day," the statement read.

In a post on Instagram on May 24, the district stated it is "awaiting clearance regarding the reopening of our schools" for its summer programs including the B.R.I.G.H.T. Learners, Summer Academy, Extended School Year, and the W.I.N.G.S. Summer Camp.

Magnolia School District

The Magnolia School District has one campus in the evacuation zone, Robert M. Pyles STEM Academy, which is located in Stanton on Dale Avenue. On May 22, students from the school were moved to Mattie Lou Maxwell Elementary School, according to KTLA. While not in the evacuation zone, students from Esther L. Walter School in Anaheim were relocated to Dr. Jonas E. Salk School on Friday, according to KTLA.

Students at Pyles STEM Academy will be relocated to other campuses for instruction, according to the OCDE Newsroom. The last day of school is June 11. Magnolia has nine campuses serving about 4,600 TK/K-6 students in Stanton and Anaheim.

Anaheim Union High School District

In brief: One AUHSD campus was evacuated and closed; one high school graduation ceremony was postponed

The last day of the 2025-26 school year for students in the AUHSD was May 21. On May 22, Orangeview Western 7-12 was evacuated and staff was told to not come to campus due to the hazmat incident, according to an Instagram post from Friday.

"Due to a toxic chemical spill in Garden Grove that is now impacting our surrounding area, Orangeview Western 7–12 School will be evacuating and closing effective immediately," the post read. The campus is located outside of the evacuation zone.

For seniors at Kennedy High School, May 22 was supposed to be a day of celebration but it became a day of uncertainty. Kennedy seniors were due to attend their graduation ceremony on Friday afternoon, but not long before the event, it was cancelled. “We understand how deeply disappointing and emotional this news is for our graduating seniors and their loved ones,” read an Instagram post from AUHSD sharing the news. A few hours later the district announced the Kennedy High School graduation ceremony had been rescheduled to May 26 at the Anaheim Convention Center.

Kennedy High School and Savanna High School in the AUHSD are now being used as shelters and resource centers to help Anaheim community members impacted by the hazmat situation. The sites are serving 280 displaced residents, according to the OCDE Newsroom.

Los Alamitos Unified School District

In brief: Families among the evacuees but not campus is in the evacuation zone; Los Alamitos High School serving as evacuation center

No campus in the Los Alamitos Unified School District is presently impacted by the hazmat situation, but some district students, families, and staff live in the evacuation zone and are displaced.

Los Alamitos High School's old gymnasium is also now being used as a Red Cross shelter for impacted families.

"We are grateful to be able to offer our facility in support of neighboring communities and families who have been affected," Los Alamitos USD Superintendent Andrew Pulver, Ed.D. wrote in a message sent to district families on May 24.

He added: "We also know this situation has directly impacted members of our own Los Alamitos USD family, including staff and students who needed to evacuate their homes. If you or your family have been affected and are in need of support, please don’t hesitate to reach out so we can connect you with assistance and available services."

O.C. Department of Education’s ACCESS Program

The Orange County Department of Education reports that approximately 347 of its ACCESS students live within the evacuation zone. Three ACCESS sites are on remote instruction, according to the OCDE Newsroom.

We will continue to update this story. Are you impacted? Want to share your story? Email hello@spotlightschools.com.

Get the latest updates from the City of Garden Grove here.

Resources:

• Garden Grove 24-hour Emergency Hotline: 714-741-5444
• Orange County Public Information Hotline: 714-628-7085
• OCFA Medical Information Hotline: 714-538-2501