Section 17212 Of Article 1. General Provisions From California Education Code >> Division 1. >> Title 1. >> Part 10.5. >> Chapter 1. >> Article 1.
17212
. The governing board of a school district, prior to acquiring
any site on which it proposes to construct any school building as
defined in Section 17283 shall have the site, or sites, under
consideration investigated by competent personnel to ensure that the
final site selection is determined by an evaluation of all factors
affecting the public interest and is not limited to selection on the
basis of raw land cost only. If the prospective schoolsite is located
within the boundaries of any special studies zone or within an area
designated as geologically hazardous in the safety element of the
local general plan as provided in subdivision (g) of Section 65302 of
the Government Code, the investigation shall include any geological
and soil engineering studies by competent personnel needed to provide
an assessment of the nature of the site and potential for earthquake
or other geologic hazard damage.
The geological and soil engineering studies of the site shall be
of such a nature as will preclude siting of a school in any location
where the geological and site characteristics are such that the
construction effort required to make the school building safe for
occupancy is economically unfeasible. No studies are required to be
made if the site or sites under consideration have been the subject
of adequate prior studies. The evaluation shall also include location
of the site with respect to population, transportation, water
supply, waste disposal facilities, utilities, traffic hazards,
surface drainage conditions, and other factors affecting the
operating costs, as well as the initial costs, of the total project.
For the purposes of this article, a special studies zone is an
area which is identified as a special studies zone on any map, or
maps, compiled by the State Geologist pursuant to Chapter 7.5
(commencing with Section 2621) of Division 2 of the Public Resources
Code.