Fears of sinking school buildings could force Reynold’s Elementary School in the Oceanside Unified School District to close.
Parents and school staffers gathered outside Reynold’s Elementary Wednesday, a day after learning it could be closed. They fought hard two years ago when the district wanted to close the school then, and they’re still fighting.
The district released the summary of an engineer’s report that indicates soil underneath the campus could be compromised in the event of a 6.8 magnitude earthquake.
“When is the last time a 6.8 rolled through here?" parent Desirae Metoyer said.
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Some parents are suspicious of the superintendent’s motive. They don’t think the soil concerns are an imminent danger to staff or students. and they fear the administration is using the report's findings as a smooth excuse for more consolidation.
District spokesperson Donald Bendz told NBC 7, like other districts in the state, Oceanside Unified is facing declining enrollment and that previous school boards closed three other schools due to safety or declining enrollment.
Bendz insists this recommendation is about student and staff safety.
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"Several tests revealed soil liquefaction. Soil liquefaction is a loss of ground strength that causes the soil to temporarily behave like a liquid. During an earthquake this could cause buildings to sink and incur other damages,“ Bendz explained in a statement.
The engineer's report was conducted in the early stages of the school’s remodel project.
"If there is any kind of problem with my house, or a medical issue, I always get a second opinion, so why haven’t we done that?" parent Nick Thomas said.
Should the school close, students and staff would be absorbed into the district’s other elementary schools.
Thomas said a closure would be a disruption with affects similar to the pandemic.
'These young children are learning how to socialize once again. They’ve reunited with their friends and the school board doesn’t really have a plan to keep them together," he said.
Despite staff recommendations, it’s the school board that will have the final say. If it’s a megaquake the district fears, just the recommendation to close has Reynold's parents feeling the shock.
The board is holding a special meeting to specifically deal with this issue on March 13 and they'll vote the next day.
