Report Finds Pasadena Elementary School May Be Vulnerable To Earthquakes

PASADENA (CBS)  — Dozens of parents met with Pasadena school board officials Thursday night to discuss concerns that two potential earthquake faults may be sitting below San Rafael Elementary.

The school district notified parents by sending home a letter last week.

"Very scary. How safe is the building?" said parent Alicia Rodriguez.

The district says there is no reason to panic, insisting that the buildings are up to safety code.

However, Dr. Lucy Jones, of the U.S. Geological Survey, said decisions will need to be made if a new report turns out to be accurate. Both of her children have attended the school.

"There is no way to build a building safely when you're literally straddling a fault," Jones said.

The discovery comes after the district conducted testing on the soil under San Rafael.

The California Geological Survey still needs to examine the results to determine whether the faults are active. If so, a state law prevents any modification be made to the buildings.

There is a chance the school will have to close down and move to a new location.

A number of parents said they hope that is not the case.

"It's about convenience. I'm a parent. I'm a teacher there. I want to stay there. It's our neighborhood school. That's what we wanted. It's the last school on the westside of Pasadena," said parent and teacher Brenda Sandoval.