Proposal To Reopen Abandoned Campus In Woodland Hills Has Some Reeling

WOODLAND HILLS (CBSLA.com) — A proposal to reopen an abandoned campus in the San Fernando Valley that would serve 500 high school students has some residents upset.

The Los Angeles Unified School District is in the early phases of considering a proposal to open a continuation school on the campus of Platt Ranch Elementary School in Woodland Hills that would serve students with new classrooms and a new athletic field.

As CBS2's Randy Paige reports, the campus has been vacant since 1982 after the school population plummeted in the wake of court-ordered busing.

But the idea to reopen the campus is not sitting well with many people, who live in the community. They cited traffic concerns during an LAUSD school board meeting Tuesday.

"We're talking about 500 students and probably that many cars," said Judith Fischer, President, Platt Ranch Neighborhood Coalition.

Fischer said morning traffic on the road surrounding the school is horrendous. She said hundreds of additional vehicles would pose a safety concern for students and residents alike.

"It's high school students on an elementary school campus in the middle of a neighborhood surrounded by single family homes," she explained.

Fischer and fellow members of the neighborhood coalition say something should be done about the vacant eyesore, but they say a plan to bring 500 high school students would only make matters worse.

The school district says no decision has been reached on the proposal and welcome input from the community on the matter.