The last day of school didn’t have the same electricity at one North County school.
Thursday was the last day of school ever for students and teachers at Reynolds Elementary School in Oceanside. The Oceanside Unified School District announced earlier this year it was closing the school for good after deciding it was too expensive to repair the unstable ground beneath the school.
“It’s emotional. It’s sad. It’s a lot of emotions,” said Viviana Gonzales, a mother of two Reynolds students. “Saying bye to our friends. Saying bye to our school. Saying bye to teachers.”
“I think at the end of the day when it hits that, ‘Hey, this is our last day. We won’t be coming back here.’ I think that’s when we’re going to see the tears from everybody,” added fellow mom Desirae Metoyer.
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Metoyer said parents fought to keep Reynolds open. She said they even got the school district to agree to fix the problems with the unstable ground beneath the school. However, she said the district pivoted and decided to close the school instead because the buildings were susceptible to earthquakes.
“It’s disappointing. It’s lying to your kids. Promising your kids something and then not giving it to them,” said Gonzales. “It’s upsetting because they were expecting a new school and instead, they have no school.”
“I personally feel it comes down to money,” Metoyer added.
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A district spokesman told NBC 7, “We have been able to accommodate our Reynolds staff and families as they transition to their new schools after the unexpected findings that led to the school’s closure.
We are grateful for the collaboration that has taken place over the last three months and are looking forward to a great new school year. Libby, Del Rio and Foussat Elementary are ready to welcome their new friends. “
Reynolds is the second elementary school to close in the Oceanside Unified School District in the past five years. Garrison Elementary closed in 2019 after sinkholes appeared on campus. The underground storm drain system was deteriorating, and it was too costly to repair. A developer has since proposed building homes on the closed campus. Metoyer said she expects someone doing the same to Reynolds.
“Something’s going to be done with the property. We just don’t know what.”
