Dodd’s Classroom Earthquake Safety Bill Passes Legislature

SACRAMENTO – A bill by Assemblymember Bill Dodd (D-Napa) to help safeguard students and teachers during earthquakes passed the Legislature this week with unanimous bipartisan support. The legislation requires all school districts residing in seismically active areas to ensure that the contents of their classrooms, like heavy bookshelves or hanging light fixtures, comply with state earthquake safety guidelines. In the event of an earthquake, unsecured contents put students and teachers at unnecessary risk of injury or death and can block emergency responders.

“The state has invested time and resources into developing guidelines to safeguard our kids from classroom contents during earthquakes, and it’s time we put those guidelines to good use. This legislation marks an important step in making sure California schools are safe, inside and out,” said Assemblymember Dodd. “I’m thankful for the bipartisan support of my colleagues in the legislature who‘ve shown their commitment to the safety of our children and teachers.”

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The notion of securing classroom contents is not new to California. Sixteen years ago, the legislature directed the Department of State Architects to develop guidelines that would outline the proper precautions needed to secure the contents of classrooms in the event of an earthquake. However, there is no requirement in state law for school districts to adhere to those guidelines.

The successful passing of this legislation comes on the two-year anniversary of the 6.0 South Napa Earthquake, which devastated Assemblymember Dodd’s hometown of Napa on August 24, 2014. Inspections of Napa schools after the earthquake revealed significant damage inside of classrooms, totaling millions of dollars. The damage could have been life-threatening had the earthquake occurred during school hours. These findings are not specific to Napa. Similar results have been identified following numerous earthquakes throughout the state, from Fresno to Los Angeles to Calexico.

“What we found after the Napa Earthquake was alarming…we found classrooms that we couldn’t even get inside because things had fallen in the doorway,” said Don Evans, member of the Napa Valley Unified School District, who testified in support of the Dodd bill earlier this year. “We believe the preventative approach is the way to go and we believe future damage is controllable.

Following the South Napa Earthquake, the Napa Valley Unified School District completed an inspection of its facilities and addressed the issues that were identified. Dodd’s legislation will require all seismically active school districts in California proactively inspect school contents and equipment to ensure they are within state guidelines. The bill now moves to the Governor’s desk, where it will await his signature to become law.

Assemblymember Bill Dodd represents the 4th Assembly District, which includes all or portions of Napa, Yolo, Sonoma, Lake, Solano, and Colusa Counties.

CONTACT: Ezrah Chaaban: (916) 319-2004