Samo began a massive transformation at the start of the 2010s, tearing down many of its old buildings and replacing them with new ones. The redesign of much of the Samo campus was largely motivated by a desire to modernize and improve student and faculty life, but this has completely excluded those with physical disabilities. The daily foot traffic of the school buildings have revealed glaring issues in Samo’s emergency and evacuation protocols, specifically involving those in need of assistance from floor to floor. Disabled students are left in an extremely dangerous situation as virtually every new building is without safe exits in case elevators aren't working.

These buildings surely must have been designed with visual appeal in mind over practicality throughout construction because Innovation, Discovery and Exploration are all void of any assistance besides elevators to access upper floors. Meaning, if there is a fire or earthquake and elevators are inoperable, these handicapped students will be left with no escape. Demi Belle (’26), a student who needed a scooter following foot surgery, explains her ability to navigate Samo’s buildings.

“The stairs are always crowded, let alone the entire campus as a whole,” Belle said. “It's a very big campus, yet during the passing period, I find it hard to maneuver sometimes. I have two classes on the second floor, and one on the third floor. With the knee scooter, I do not think I'd be able to get down the stairs, unless I have help.”

In a statement by Carey Upton, the Chief Operations Officer of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD), Upton responded to the question of the campus’s accessibility.

“All public school buildings are required to meet the most rigorous accessibility standards when constructed or modernized,” Upton said. “These standards are enforced through the Division of the State Architect (DSA), a certified DSA inspector also verifies compliance during and after construction.”

Although the newer buildings comply with California and Federal law, the district should be expected to go beyond the code minimums to allow more accessibility for those who are disabled. Ramps are prevalent outdoors to assist with navigating the changing topography, but none can be found when entering or exiting many of the building's upper floors—where they are most important. This includes those that were recently constructed over the past decade, which claimed to be the most modern and up to date buildings.

This issue may not apply to every student currently and ramps may be expensive, but the district needs to seriously take into consideration the lives it might save to make buildings easier to evacuate and travel to and from. The appearance of the campus should always be put second when it comes to student’s lives. Samo is a great campus, and is often above and beyond many others. The safety of all students should be one of the things included in that list. Otherwise, it’s only a matter of time before someone gets hurt because of a design choice made without the students’ best interests in mind.

Accessibility issues leave samo primed for disaster

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