LAUSD school – Following the tragic death of a Franklin High student, LAUSD parents are demanding the return of campus police, reigniting a fierce debate over school safety.
The silence in the room during Wednesday’s Board of Education meeting was broken only by the sharp. desperate questions of a grieving family. For those gathered. the tragedy at Franklin High School in Highland Park was not merely a singular event. but a breaking point. A relative of 17-year-old Xavier Nungaray-Martinez stood at the lectern. flanked by supporters. and directed her grief at the board: “Where were you when the child pleaded for help?. Where were you when the child was being attacked in the classroom?”.
Xavier died after falling over a fourth-floor railing at the school. While the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office has determined the death was a suicide. the events leading to the moment remain under intense scrutiny. Cellphone footage captured Xavier being repeatedly struck by another student; as he fell, the attacker was seen approaching him. The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating whether bullying contributed to the death. though they caution that no definitive link has been established yet.
For parents like Margarita Giron, the tragedy feels preventable. “Are you waiting for one of your own to die to take action?” she asked the board, her voice trembling. Giron and others. organized by the nonprofit California Rising. are demanding the district return police officers to campuses—a move that would reverse a 2020 board decision to remove officers and cut the school police budget by 35%. That 2020 vote, which eliminated 133 positions, was a response to the national outcry over the killing of George Floyd. Today. the district maintains about 270 sworn officers. 61 non-sworn safety officers. and 40 civilian staff. but they are not stationed permanently on high school campuses as they once were.
The tension at the district headquarters reflects a deep-seated divide. Diana Guillen. who leads an LAUSD parents group. made their position clear: “We want police inside the schools.” Veronica Mendoza. whose son Edgar witnessed the fall. said she no longer feels school is safe. citing reports of fights and weapons on campus. Meanwhile. at a Tuesday board meeting. activist Mau Trejo of Students Deserve argued that more police is not the solution. advocating instead for increased psychiatric social workers and restorative justice programs. He maintained that the district must focus on “peacebuilding” to support students who, like Xavier, face harm.
This clash of philosophies has left the district in a precarious position. While a board spokesperson stated that safety is a “shared responsibility. ” the administration has remained largely silent on the specific calls for a return to pre-2020 security staffing. Board member Rocio Rivas. who represents Franklin High and is also a parent there. previously noted the “pain and confusion” among the school community. stating the district is currently providing increased mental health services.
As the investigation continues, the political reality is as strained as the emotional one. Raul Claros. founder of California Rising. characterizes the current state of campus security as a byproduct of fear—arguing that board members. despite their own beliefs. have been driven by “political rhetoric” and the pressure of “cancel culture.” With budget cuts of $3.5 million planned for 2026-27 and another $7 million in 2027-28. the district is moving further away from the model of permanent school-based officers. even as a growing chorus of parents declares that the current safety measures have failed their children.
LAUSD Franklin High school safety school police Xavier Nungaray-Martinez student death