Parents and police union demand full-time officers on LAUSD campuses after student death
Parents and the school police union are pressing the Los Angeles Unified School District to reinstate full-time officers on every campus after 17-year-old Xavier Nungaray-Martinez died by jumping from a balcony at Franklin High.
After 17-year-old Xavier Nungaray-Martinez jumped from a fourth-floor balcony at Franklin High School in Highland Park, parents and the Los Angeles School Police Management Association are urging the Los Angeles Unified School District to bring back full-time police officers to every campus. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner classified the death as a suicide, though the family disputes this and cites bullying, which video shows occurring moments earlier.
The appeal follows a 2021 decision that cut $25 million from the school-police budget, eliminating 133 positions and redirecting funds to a $36.5 million Black Student Achievement Plan that added climate coaches. Current district data reveal bullying reports have risen, with 17 % of students reporting being bullied—the highest level since 2021-22—and physical bullying up to 15 % in the latest year. The board is considering an additional $3.5 million cut for fiscal year 2027-28 and a possible $7 million reduction the following year. The family has launched a Change.org petition demanding campus police, security cameras, better-trained staff and safer railings, while some parent groups argue that police alone will not address deeper safety concerns.
Why it matters
The story highlights growing tension over school safety, budgeting and policing in a major U.S. school district.
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