Two fire-shuttered Santa Rosa schools to reopen in January

Two Santa Rosa-area elementary schools will reopen early next month after being temporarily closed for three months in the aftermath of October’s Tubbs fire, school officials said Tuesday.

Schaefer Elementary in the Coffey Park neighborhood and John B. Riebli Elementary in the Mark West area will reopen when classes resume after the winter recess.

Both schools were spared major damage as the wildfire leveled homes in the surrounding neighborhoods. However, the schools remained closed until workers cleaned them and officials could ensure safe air quality as debris cleanup began around them.

Officials for Schaefer, part of the Piner-Olivet school district, and Riebli, a campus in the Mark West school district, both said regular air quality measures at the two campuses have shown no signs of toxicity from the cleanup efforts.

Mark West Superintendent Ron Calloway said Riebli students will visit the campus Friday for a brief celebration.