Seismic Reports and Upgrades

Parents have inquired about the recent Seismic Assessment report and the District’s plan of action to address the recommendations in that report. The Seismic Assessment report was published in April 2019 and all four volumes are available on the District website. The report contains an evaluation and rating of each school and students, staff, and parents can look at how their school is expected to fare based on the standard performance criteria. To our knowledge, Beaverton School District is the only District in Oregon with this level of seismic detail for each of its schools and facilities.

The report uses a color coding to indicate the expected performance of each zone within each building. As you review the report and look for your school or facility in Volume 4, please note the following summary of the color codes: 

During or after a major seismic event, the zones showing in Red and Orange are expected to see the most structural damage, including the highest risk of collapse or partial collapse. Zones marked in Yellow meet the Life Safety performance criteria of ASCE 41-17. These zones of the building may see significant structural damage but partial or total collapse are both unlikely. Green zones will see little to no structural damage.

Volume 4 was previously unavailable on the website for safety and security reasons; however, the District intentionally removed the schematic floor plans for all schools to that this Volume can be made available online. Staff and parents can still view the original Volume 4 report in person and upon request at the District main office. Please contact the Facilities Development staff at 503.356.4364 for more information. 

Using the April 2019 report, the District is developing and prioritizing seismic upgrade projects for the next Capital Improvement Bond. The focus of this effort will be developing seismic upgrade projects for schools that fall into the Red Zone (Less than Collapse Prevention Performance Level). These projects will help improve these schools to be above life safety performance  objectives and be better equipped to limit damage in the event of an earthquake. These seismic projects will need to be prioritized along with other potential bond projects that include new capacity schools, replacement schools, modernization, and other capital improvement projects.  

There is no change to the District's recommendations on earthquake preparedness and following the instructions for "Drop, Cover, and Hold On." The District participated in the Great Oregon Shakeout earthquake drills on October 14, 2019 to review and refresh all students and District employees on "Drop, Cover, and Hold On." For more information please see the BSD Public Safety Earthquake Preparedness webpage and the Great Oregon Shakeout.