Drawing the most attention in Utah County are the signs being displayed throughout Orem regarding Proposition 2. The political issues committee Orem Parents for a Better Education, sponsored by Todd and Andie Pedersen, has said, through door hangers and flyers, that Orem Elementary School and Lakeridge Junior High are seismically unsafe.

Misleading door hangers were put out Tuesday saying “children will die in the event of a large earthquake.”

The information is shown next to the Utah Taxpayers Association logo, along with a banner reading, “endorsed by the Utah Taxpayers Association.”

In small black print, on the photo, reads “paid for by Orem Parents for a Better Education.”

Rusty Cannon, President of the Utah Taxpayers Association is not pleased that the association’s logo was used without permission.

“The Utah Taxpayers Association has never authorized any person or entity to use our logo in regards to Proposition 2,” Cannon said. “Any materials claiming the association ‘endorses’ or ‘approves’ any mailers, flyers, or other items is misleading and has been done without our permission.”

Calls for comment to Pedersen and others supporting Yes on Proposition 2 were not immediately returned.

Door hangers with a photo of Orem Elementary with big red letters saying “unsafe” were spread through the school’s neighborhood. The hangers reference a 2022 study where 11 Orem schools were identified by FEMA to be seismically unsafe.

According to Kimberly Bird, executive director of Internal Relations and Operations at ASD, the group is referencing a state FEMA report published in February.

The door hanger contends that Alpine School District has chosen not to make upgrades to the school while taking Orem tax dollars.

“Student safety is a priority as Alpine School District has addressed many seismic issues over the years with bond and capital funding. Numerous school rebuilds and renovations have taken place at various sites,” said David Stephenson, ASD spokesperson. “These improvements were based on the 2006 Reaveley Report. We will continue to address aging buildings and address seismic issues as more specific studies are conducted in the future.”

Stephenson added that $200 million of the Alpine School District’s proposed $595 million bond would go toward seismic rebuilds and renovations. “We encourage voters to carefully study information pertaining to the 2022 bond as they consider how they will vote during the election,” he said.

Between 2016 and 2021, ASD has put $1.3 million into safety upgrades at Orem Elementary, one of the schools marked as “unsafe.”

Allyssa Mae, is a parent of students at Orem Elementary and Lakeridge Junior high. She also had her image featured on a “Vote No” on Proposition 2 mailer and expressed concern that her children are being told it’s unsafe to go to their schools.

“These flyers are publishing bald-face lies,” Mae said. “These schools are not on the list of schools requiring seismic upgrades. There was not a 2022 FEMA study. The study was conducted by seismologists with a grant of money from FEMA. Calling it a FEMA study is another lie.”

Bird added that the FEMA report is based on studies of paperwork and construction dates of government buildings.

“We have stayed committed to aggressively addressing our seismic concerns that were identified on that thorough study from 2006. We are committed to $200 million of the $595 million bond to address seismic school concerns from our original list,” she said.

Challenging assertions made with the door hanger, ASD released the list of Orem schools and how much money has been put into them between 2016 and 2021.

Elementary schools:

• Aspen $1.6 million
• Bonneville $1.7 million
• Cascade (rebuild) $20 million
• Centennial/Scera (new build) $19.3 million
• Cherry Hill $218,896
• Foothill $565,819
• Geneva (prior to demolition) $511,207
• Hillcrest (prior to demolition) $88,811
• Northridge $291,189
• Orchard $189,454
• Orem $1.3 million
• Sharon $292,465
• Parkside/Sunset $1.2 million
• Westmore $462,510
• Windsor $1.2 million

Junior Highs:

• Canyon View $1.5 million
• Lakeridge $2.6 million
• Orem Junior $387,065

High Schools:

• Mountain View $13.7 million
• Orem $1million
• Timpanogos $9.5 million
• Polaris/Summit (prior to move) $169,154

Three schools have not had substantial upgrades, Orem Junior High, which is going through that process now, and Sharon and Windsor elementary schools.