Earthquake Safety Concerns Prompt Closure of Oceanside Elementary School

The Oceanside School District has decided to close Reynolds Elementary School over earthquake safety concerns. The school board feels the move is necessary to protect students, but Reynolds families say they’re devastated. 

“It’s hard to see the teachers crying. It’s hard to see parents crying, kids crying,” PTA President Julie Hammer told NBC 7. “Everyone is really heartbroken over this.”  

The engineer’s report that prompted the vote warned of possible underground liquefaction in the event of an earthquake. Liquefaction could cause buildings to sink.

Parents who read the report had a different interpretation than the board. They cite a part of the document which states that “no active faults are known to underlie or project toward the site; thus, the probability of fault rupture at the site is considered low.” They also point to a finding that the school has a “low liquefaction risk.”

It’s not yet clear which schools Reynolds students will be transferred to. Those questions will be hashed out at the next school board meeting on March 23.