The Journal Record: Moore Schools 'Deathtrap' Before Deadly Tornado

The May 20 tornado last year injured dozens of students and staff at Briarwood Elementary, and killed seven kids at Plaza Towers in Moore.

Our partners at the Journal Record published a new report on Friday that suggests both schools were a potential deathtrap for students long before the storm. That's based on a soon-to-be-released report from engineers who say there were significant problems with the design and construction quality at both schools.

According to the report, engineers say at Briarwood, several of the building's steel roof beams were not attached to walls. It also says the school's cinderblock walls were not properly reinforced and large portions of the walls were not backfilled with concrete.

In other words, the school was not up to code.

The same report says the Plaza Towers Elementary school in Moore, where seven students died, had similar issues.

The report raises serious questions about the design and construction quality of Plaza Towers. Most alarming in the report is the engineer who says "had both schools been properly built, those walls would have given occupants a greater chance to survive the tornado."

Read the full report here.

Scott Carter is the reporter who put the story together. Watch the videos above to see Carter's interview with News 9.