Marquez School Moves 3 Classrooms

A landslide area in the northwest portion of Marquez Charter Elementary School in Pacific Palisades has prompted the Los Angeles Unified School District to relocate three classrooms due to the geological instability.

The playground remains closed until further notice.

The meeting for parents, staff and the community takes place Tuesday, Aug. 13 at 6 p.m. in the school's auditorium. LAUSD officials will discuss the next steps needed for a proposed engineering study and there will be question-and-answer portion to share ideas.

In a message from Principal Emily Williams to the community, she writes:

Due to land movement at Marquez, three classrooms have been relocated.  Cracks in the asphalt on the lower yard have resulted in the handball courts being sectioned off by fencing and not available to students while geologists and engineers conduct tests. You will receive an informative and an invitation to an informational meeting Tuesday, August 13 at 6pm.  [please mark your calendar]

With these changes at Marquez, unfortunately, the field remains without grass and the yard must remain closed [to the public].

Classrooms 7, 8, and 9 were relocated to other rooms on the campus in an effort to minimize disruption to the classrooms when testing and sampling of the soil occurs and if any repairs to the impacted classrooms are required. A solution was agreed to for the relocation of those three classrooms and the remaining classrooms will continue normal use of their rooms during the investigation and testing of the soil.

Engineers report that the building is safe but have restricted access to those three rooms only.

The parcel of land on and surrounding Marquez Charter is a known slide area, and aerial photos and topographic surveys dating back to the 1930’s show  historic areas of slide zones that are consistent with the land movement Marquez Charter, according to LAUSD.

In 2003, the playground area showed cracking, and geotechnical investigation showed that, although surface cracks were visible, the slope was safe. At that time no damage to any structures was observed and no action was required for further inspection or monitoring, says LAUSD. 

In April, there were reports of recurring cracks on the playground, similar to cracks that lead to the previous slide of portions of the playground. In addition, school officials say there were visible cracks in the asphalt on the playground, cracks on the interior and exterior walls, separation of several ceiling/wall joints, and racked window and door frames were also reported in classrooms 7, 8 and 9.

After an initial inspection by facilities staff, a structural review showed the northeast wing has settled about one inch, and the southwest wing closest to the slope has settled from two to six inches. The distress in the classrooms and north arcade is consistent with land movement but initial determinations indicate they are pervasive but not serious.

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