Family members of Xavier Nungaray-Martinez, the Franklin High School student who died after a fall from a fourth-floor corridor, called Tuesday for a return of school police to campuses and a heightened focus on stopping campus bullying during a protest in front of the school district’s downtown headquarters.
They also challenged the preliminary conclusion, by the county medical examiner, that Xavier‘s death on Sept. 30 should be classified as a death by suicide.
“He was not suicidal,” said his father, William Amaya, speaking publicly for the first time since his son’s death. “So just to put that out there, because they’re saying that he was, but he was not.”
The family is also awaiting the results of the coroner’s toxicology tests, but said Tuesday they do not believe Xavier used drugs and had never heard him talk about drugs on campus.
Xavier, a 17-year-old senior, was recalled by his father as a kind, shy, teenager who enjoyed gaming and was looking forward to graduation.
“He was looking forward to start working,” Amaya said. “He had plans. He was trying to move on.”
Amaya was among a group of about half a dozen parents — including two other family members — who demonstrated outside Tuesday’s meeting of the Board of Education.
“We’re trying to get our voices heard,” said Stephanie Amaya, who is William Amaya’s cousin. “Xavier has started a movement for all of us, and we’re here to just ask for protection for our kids. Bring back the school police. That’s our main priority, and we want justice. That’s why we’re here outside, waiting for them to hear us.”
She vowed to continue the protests as long as necessary. Last week a group of district parents called for officers to be returned to campuses, reigniting a long-simmering debate about police patrols at Los Angeles Unified schools. Other Franklin parents have focused on counseling efforts and have not supported a police presence.
In 2020, under pressure from community and student activists who called for defunding police, the school board voted 4-3 to remove officers from campus and slash funding for the school police by 35%. A much smaller police force continues to conduct patrols and respond to emergencies.
“We need every single school and every single kid to have a chance and feel protected in their school,” said Amaya, who has started a petition calling for increased surveillance measures, on-campus police officers, training for non-police security staff, improving internal campus communication and, especially at Franklin, installing safer railing systems.
Family members said they believe Xavier was bullied and see it as a significant problem at Franklin.
The Los Angeles Police Department said last week they are investigating allegations that “bullying may have contributed to the student’s death.”
Video taken moments before his fall shows Xavier on the ground of a classroom being struck at least six times by a classmate. No video has emerged that shows what happened before the fight. Video also shows a teacher standing between the students as Xavier gets slowly to his feet. The other student strikes one more blow from behind, knocking Xavier to the ground. He stumbles up and runs from the classroom.
Another video, taken seconds later, shows Xavier at the railing. A male student who appears to be the other person involved in the conflict is rapidly approaching Xavier when Xavier vaults over the railing.
Police have not released information about the person seen on the video striking Xavier.
Xavier’s aunt, Elizabeth Amaya, said Tuesday that she challenged the finding of suicide because if not for the fight, she said, Xavier would not have fled the classroom.
Elizabeth Amaya also has a daughter at the school, a senior, and Amaya said her daughter also feels that bullying is a problem and that the school is struggling to recover from the tragedy.
Family members stressed that police officers should not come at the expense of counseling, which also needs to be increased or improved, they said.
William Amaya added that he is a graduate of Franklin and there used to be one or more officers on campus who broke up fights and deterred others by their presence. Former school board member David Tokofsky said that Franklin used to have two assigned officers out of concern for keeping the campus safe from the influence of a notorious local gang.
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