W e e k l y RIALTO RECORD
Vol 24, NO. 17
November 27, 2025
Rialto Fire Displaces 80 Residents as Simpson Elementary, Red Cross Rally to Provide Shelter
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Over 3,000 San Bernardino County Students Recognized for Biliteracy Pg. 3
PHOTO MANNY SANDOVAL Second from left, Dr. Stephanie E. Lewis, RUSD Board of Education president, and Evelyn P. Dominguez, RUSD board member (third from left), at Simpson Elementary School to support the Red Cross on Nov. 21.
By Manny Sandoval
O
n Friday, Nov. 21, 2025, at 5:14 PM, Rialto firefighters and several partner fire agencies battled a 16unit apartment complex fire on Cactus Avenue when as many as 80 Rialto residents, including children and pets, were immediately displaced. “Understanding the severity of the situation, within hours of the structure fire, Rialto Unified School District began the process to partner with the Red Cross to
Fontana, San Bernardino Unified School Districts Host School Safety Symposium on Fentanyl, Trafficking
open Simpson Elementary School (located at 1050 S. Lilac Avenue in Rialto) as an evacuation site,” stated Syeda Jafri, district spokesperson. “Simpson Elementary School administration team, Simpson PTA, and various school and District officials joined parent volunteers, local business leaders and community organizations to generously assist the Red Cross throughout the night into the early morning, and many remained to continue supporting our community in need until Wednesday. It was a shared priority to make sure we offer our families as much comfort as possible.”
According to Jafri, the response from the RUSD Board of Education and interim Superintendent Dr. Judy D. White was to extend Simpson Elementary School as a facility for the Red Cross to use through Wednesday, Nov. 26. Most families were given hotel vouchers, while some chose to stay with friends or family overnight. Isaiah Hernandez, disaster program manager for the Red Cross of San Bernardino County, said the Red Cross is grateful to continue providing an emerApartment Fire, cont. on next pg.
Rialto Unified Hit With $3 Million Penalty After Forensic Audit Finds Meal-Count Errors in Nutrition Program
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PHOTO RUSD Rialto Unified School District is located at 182 East Walnut Ave.
By Manny Sandoval
O
n Saturday, Nov. 22, the Rialto Unified School District released a statement detailing the findings of a nearly two-year forensic investigation into its Nutrition Services program and pledging stronger fiscal oversight going forward.
District officials said the independent review, launched in December 2023 and completed in October 2025, examined allegations involving how meal counts were reported for reimbursement. Investigators concluded that daily counts for the regular school-year meal program were largely accurate, but found errors in
the totals reported to the state during portions of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 and 2022, as well as in the district’s summer feeding programs in 2021, 2022 and 2023. Those inaccuracies resulted in the district receiving more funds than it was entitled to. RUSD Penalty, cont. on next pg.