Oceanside Elementary School closed due to earthquake safety concerns – NBC7 San Diego

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Tears flowed at Reynolds Elementary School in Oceanside Tuesday.

“It’s hard to see teachers cry. It’s hard to see parents cry, and kids cry,” said PTA President Reynolds. “Everyone is so sad about this. It’s devastating.”

Julie Hammer told NBC 7 that the Oceanside School District’s decision to close Reynolds Elementary affects everyone connected to the school.

Engineers say the ground below the school would be unsafe during a major earthquake, NBC 7’s Dave Summers reports.

As PTO, Hammer’s job is to support students and staff for the next four months. As a mother of three children who attend the school, she has a different perspective: “We don’t feel like this area is heard at all. We don’t think they listen to us.”

This isn’t the first time the Oceanside Union School District has said it wants to shut down Reynolds. In 2001 there was talk of closing the old school, but after a bond measure was passed to help drive improvements to the county’s campus, plans were put in place to renovate Reynolds.

Those plans were canceled Monday after the district received an engineer’s report detailing potential underground liquefaction that could cause buildings to sink.

Parents who spoke to NBC 7 the day after the decision say they read the 176-page report and see the conclusions differently. They cited two specific references on page 9 that read: “…there are no active faults known to lie behind or head towards the site; therefore, the probability of site rupture is considered to be low.”

NBC 7’s Dave Summers explains the threats to Reynolds Elementary School in Oceanside.

There is also a reference on the same page that says the school’s site has a “low monetization risk”.

The report lists possible remediation solutions to strengthen the ground under the school buildings, but the district chose to close the school and relocate students and staff for their safety.

“They closed on the grounds of safety, which is inaccurate in our opinion,” said Molly Martin, whose twins attend Reynolds’ third grade. She added, “We’ve only had the report for a few days, but if you read it, they’ll say the school site is just as safe as it is.”

NBC 7 asked Martin if she would send her children to a school she thought was unsafe. “No, of course not. None of the parents. The teachers wouldn’t fight to keep their jobs at an unsafe school. The staff wouldn’t. I live two blocks away. Do you think a magnitude 5 earthquake is going to affect my house? I’m not moving. We have “Earthquake insurance. Do you think they would insure my house if they felt that the soil liquefaction plaguing all of North County was a problem? It isn’t.”

Martin said the district has not provided any answers about which schools their children will be transferred to or how far away they will be.

A district spokesperson told NBC 7 that all students will be sent to schools within a two-mile radius of their homes.

The Oceanside Unified School District issued this statement the day after the decision:

After careful consideration, on March 13, 2023, the Board of Education of the Oceanside Unified School District voted to close Reynolds Elementary as of June 2023. It was determined that the soil condition at Reynolds Elementary School was not suitable for the planned construction. Tests revealed soil liquefaction. Soil liquefaction is The loss of ground force that causes soil to temporarily act like a liquid.During an earthquake, this may cause buildings to sink and cause other damage.

The safety of our students and staff is our top priority for all who attend now and in the future. We know everyone has their hearts set on modernizing this campus and we understand the disappointment the community may feel.

The Board of Education will meet again to discuss additional results from the ground test in Del Rio, school limits for Reynolds students, and program placement. This meeting will be at:

Thursday, March 23rd

6 pm

Chavez Middle School

202 Oleander D.

We want to assure the community that no Reynolds employee will lose their job. Our fantastic team at Reynolds will be transferring to other schools across the area. Their talents and dedication to students will impact the lives of families in their new assignments.

All of our elementary campuses are equipped to meet the social and emotional needs of our students. Each school has a full time counselor on site. The district also offers additional support to students and their families. Please feel free to use these free resources during this transition.

We know that each Reynolds will bring what makes them exceptional to their new campus and find a new sense of belonging.”

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