Los Angeles public schools, with one exception, will be open Monday pending worsening weather conditions, and parents and staff were urged to watch for updates tonight and at 6 a.m., Supt. Alberto Carvalho said Sunday afternoon.

An update posted on social media about 7 p.m. reiterated that schools would be open Monday.

The decision was made in concert with city emergency officials, Carvalho said at a news briefing with Mayor Karen Bass and others. Many students in the L.A. Unified School District rely on school for weekday meals, a factor that also influenced his decision, Carvalho said.

"Considering the fact that our students depend on nutrition at school, we have made the decision at this point to maintain our schools open going into tomorrow," he said, adding that "during the time that our schools are open, the winds will subside."

The exception is Vinedale Span School in Sun Valley, which is affected by city-ordered mandatory evacuations in the area. Students and staff at that school are supposed to report to nearby Glenwood Elementary School.

Carvalho said conditions will vary throughout the sprawling district and that local decisions could vary. He left open the opportunity to change his mind — and parents should look for an update by about 6 a.m. Monday. The nation's second-largest school system typically contacts parents through an automated system that relies on text, phone and email messages as well as through posts on social media.

At least seven campuses of the California State University system — Fullerton, Los Angeles, Northridge, Dominguez Hills, Cal Poly Pomona, San Bernardino and Cal State Long Beach — announced variations of online classes and modified operations for Monday. Students and staff were advised to watch university websites for updates; faculty at several campuses were urged to contact students about classes.

UC Santa Barbara asked instructors to move Monday classes online or to reschedule them and urged supervisors to allow staff to work remotely. The university planned to resume normal operations on Tuesday.

USC and UCLA officials said Sunday evening that campuses will be open and classes will continue as usual.

Carvalho urged parents and employees to assess whether it was safe to travel to campuses and urged patience on what could be a disruptive day.

"We are encouraging ... parents to make the best decision on the basis of the conditions around their homes and the established route from home to school. We do not want anyone to put themselves in danger and that applies to our workforce," he said.

Carvalho also warned of altered bus routes that could lead to delays.

"It is not going to be an easy day," Carvalho said as he stood with a phalanx of city and county officials at the regional emergency operations center downtown.

His message represented a contrast to that of other officials, who simply urged people to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary.

The feed of comments to the mayor's livestream filled with questions about the wisdom of opening schools — just as it likely would have filled with comments critical of closing campuses if that had been the choice.

Parents and teachers on Sunday also reported getting messages advising them of online learning resources for students who remained home.

Last August the decision to close campuses ahead of Tropical Storm Hilary, which touched Los Angeles more lightly than expected, prompted some criticism — especially when the weather brought on a partly sunny Monday without school. That anticlimax had put Carvalho on the defensive at the time, even though the storm caused notable damage in other parts of the Southland.

Other school districts and institutions faced similar choices.

In Santa Barbara County, all public schools and community colleges will be closed Monday. Private schools will make their own decisions, said Adrienne Starr, a member of the local emergency operations team. Officials from the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District said the decision was "based on the latest data from the National Weather Service and the recommendation of Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown."

Times staff writer Teresa Watanabe contributed to this report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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