Schools

Seismic Safety Investigation Unearths Reporting Problems at Schools

MDUSD projects are deemed safe, but state is still lacking proper records.

Are our schools safe from the threat of earthquakes?

Can we prove it?

That’s the question Patch and California Watch aim to answer as California building officials are this week contacting school districts throughout the state to ensure they have the proper safety certifications on file.

Find out what's happening in Concordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A 19-month California Watch investigation, which was released Thursday, uncovered holes in the state's enforcement of seismic safety regulations for public schools. 

No Mt. Diablo Unified School District school projects are on the list as being the most potentially dangerous.

Find out what's happening in Concordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

California began regulating school architecture for seismic safety in 1933 with the Field Act, but data taken from the Division of the State Architect’s Office shows 20,000 school projects statewide never got final safety certifications. In the crunch to get schools built within the last few decades, state architects have been lax on enforcement, California Watch reported. 

A separate inventory completed nine years ago found 7,500 seismically risky school buildings in the state. Yet, California Watch reports that only two schools have been able to access a $200 million fund for upgrades. 

While no MDUSD schools have the “Letter 4” designation from the state architect’s office — the term used to describe those projects that have been closed out but that are missing vital pieces of information about seismic safety — there are about 75 projects that do not have final certifications on file, ranging from a 1980 project to last year’s construction at Olympic High School in Concord.

Most of those projects have a lesser designation — a Letter 3 — that Eric Lamoureux, spokesperson for the division of the state architect, says is not deemed a critical safety concern.

Other MDUSD projects that do not have proper certification are several at , including the installation of a fire alarm system and computer network, relocation of a portable classroom, and elevator and foyer construction. Final safety records of the construction of the football field, some elevator construction at and various fire alarm and intercom systems throughout the distinct are also incomplete.

Lamoureux said that district officials have deemed most of these projects safe, but a lack of proper accounting may hinder additional work on those projects, if needed.

MDUSD facilities officials have not yet responded to several queries from Patch about the projects.

This story was produced using data provided to Patch by California Watch, the state's largest investigative reporting team and part of the Center for Investigative Reporting. Read more about Patch's collaboration with California Watch.

For an interactive map showing seismic dangers facing schools around California, click here.

For information on what YOU can do to ensure seismic saftey at your school, see this.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here