Saugus Union School District student safety and construction are to be discussed with the community in February, officials said.

Tuesday night, the governing board for the Saugus Union School District reviewed its enrollment needs for each of its schools and approved schools that are now open or closed to transfers, according to District Superintendent Colleen Hawkins.

“During that discussion, the board reviewed the enrollment projections for the next several years, the space available on each campus, and the demands placed on each campus to complete the upcoming construction projects planned to improve school sites for students,” said a statement from Hawkins.

The board determined that Charles Helmers Elementary is expected to be closed for transfers, and not have transitional-kindergarten (TK) in the 2020-21 school year.

Charles Helmers Elementary’s upcoming construction was discussed during the meeting. In 2021, Charles Helmers is set to develop a new classroom and “flex classroom” building.

The construction is expected to alleviate the need for 12 additional classrooms, housing 281 students, according to district officials.  

The playground space for grades one through six would be closed during the construction as well, according to officials.

“There are a lot of different restrictions,” Hawkins said. “You don’t want to have kids impacted by cement trucks and jackhammers while they are trying to learn or play.”

Despite other reports, there has been no official proposal regarding how Charles Helmers Elementary or its students would be altered in the coming school year.

During the discussion, the possibility of temporarily moving grade-level groups of students to another campus via busing during construction, however, there were no formal plans made, according to Hawkins.

A public meeting is set for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 11 at Helmers’ multi-purpose room, for the community and parents to discuss plans including safety concerns and student housing during the construction.

“The board meeting would be after that, which would allow the parents to come formally to the board with what we had discussed in February,” Hawkins said.

An official decision from the Saugus Union School District Board is said to be made in March.

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.