LOS ANGELES, CA – Parents called on the Los Angeles Unified School District on Wednesday to return police officers to campuses after a 17-year-old Franklin High School student in Highland Park died Sept. 30 following a fall over a fourth-floor railing, while the Los Angeles Police Department investigates allegations that bullying may have contributed to the death, authorities said.
The fall happened at about 1 p.m. Sept. 30 at Benjamin Franklin High School, 820 N. Avenue 54. The Los Angeles County medical examiner ruled the death a suicide and gave the cause as multiple blunt traumatic injuries to the head and torso.
On Wednesday, Oct. 7, more than a dozen parents held a news conference organized by the nonprofit California Rising. Diana Guillen, who leads an LAUSD parents group focused on school safety, said: “We want police inside the schools.”
The same day, the LAPD said detectives have not identified evidence establishing a connection between the bullying allegations and the student’s death. The department said the investigation remains active.
Authorities have not released the student’s name, and Street People is withholding it because he was a minor.
What happened on Sept. 30
According to initial reports, students witnessed a physical altercation in a classroom shortly before the fall. A teacher stood between the students, and one student struck the other, knocking him to the floor. The student who was hit then left the classroom and went over the fourth-floor railing.
Franklin High was placed on lockdown during the medical emergency, and students were released before 4 p.m. The school reopened the next day with additional mental health professionals on campus.
Officials have not released further details about what preceded the fall. Principal Marine Davtyan cited privacy laws as a reason for not disclosing more information in a message to the school community, and said the well-being of the school community remains the top priority.
LAPD says no evidence yet links bullying to the death
In an Oct. 7 update, the LAPD said it is aware of reports that bullying may have contributed to the student’s death and that detectives are taking the allegations seriously. The department said detectives are thoroughly investigating all information and circumstances around the incident.
“At this preliminary stage of the investigation, detectives have not identified evidence establishing a connection between allegations of bullying and the student’s death,” the department said. It added that the assessment should not be interpreted as a final determination of the circumstances.
The LAPD said nothing can be ruled out yet. Detectives from the department’s Robbery-Homicide Division are examining other factors and are awaiting the final autopsy report from the medical examiner.
The department also said it recognizes the concerns expressed by the student’s family, classmates and the broader community. It said it remains committed to a thorough, objective and impartial investigation.
Parents call for officers on campuses
The news conference brought together Franklin High parents and others concerned about safety at LAUSD schools. Parents voiced concerns about bullying and what they described as a lack of security on campuses, and they asked the district to staff schools with police officers.
Veronica Mendoza, a Franklin parent, said her son witnessed the fall and returned to school Tuesday. She said more school police is the only action she believes would help her son and his classmates.
The district operates its own police force. The Los Angeles School Police Department’s About Us page describes the agency as LAUSD’s police department, made up of sworn officers, school safety officers and civilian staff.
Parents address the Board of Education
Parents also spoke during the public comment portion of a Board of Education meeting. Margarita Giron told board members that her daughter was bullied in LAUSD schools and asked what they were waiting for before taking further steps on school safety.
“Are you waiting for one of your own to die to take action?” Giron asked. She also said parents would “go higher” if the board did not act.
Board members did not respond to the speakers, as is their practice during public comment. The board’s agenda for its regular meeting is dated Oct. 6.
Board Vice President Rocío Rivas, who represents Franklin High and is a Franklin parent, was not available Wednesday to comment on the parents’ demands for school police.
Officials express condolences
Rivas had earlier addressed the death. At the Board of Education meeting, she offered her deepest condolences to the student’s family, friends, teachers and loved ones and asked for a moment of silence. She said there are no words that can ease such a loss and that the family is not alone, and that the district is providing increased mental health services on campus.
LAUSD Superintendent Andrés Chait said in a public statement Oct. 1 that there are no easy words when a student is lost. “The loss is felt across our entire LAUSD community,” Chait said, adding that counseling and other support services are available to students and employees.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis said Oct. 3: “Every student deserves to feel safe when they walk into school. The reports about what happened, including concerns about bullying, are deeply troubling and must be taken seriously.”
Los Angeles City Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, who represents District 1, said Franklin is a special community that has shaped generations of young people in Northeast Los Angeles, including herself. She said she is grieving alongside the student’s family, friends, classmates and educators.
District describes support for students
An LAUSD spokesperson said Oct. 7 that school safety is a shared responsibility. The spokesperson said the district continues to work with school leaders, staff, families and law enforcement partners to ensure campuses are safe and supportive places for students.
The district said a crisis team is providing grief counseling and other mental health support to students and staff, including individual counseling sessions, classroom visits and referrals.
LAUSD publishes a bullying page for families and schools. It explains how to report bullying to school administration or a complaint manager and states that the district prohibits retaliation against people who report it.
Family raises concerns about bullying
According to initial reports, the student’s stepmother said he was bullied regularly but was afraid to speak up because he feared being punished instead of the students who bullied him. A family member has also started a petition asking LAUSD to add security cameras and railing safeguards and to station police on every campus.
The LAPD’s statement said the department recognizes the concerns of the family and the community. Detectives have not announced any finding on whether bullying played a role.
Autopsy report and investigation remain pending
No arrests or charges involving the other student have been announced. The department has not said whether the final autopsy report will change its preliminary assessment.
Robbery-Homicide Division detectives are handling the case. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detectives L. Garcia or J. Sanchez at 213-996-4109.
The LAPD’s investigation remains active, and detectives are awaiting the final autopsy report from the Los Angeles County medical examiner.
