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LA Unified struggles to reassure parents amid rising school violence

Jinge Li | October 3, 2024



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Eamonn Fitzmaurice/LA School Report

Parents of students in the Los Angeles Unified school district are raising concerns after four guns were found on campuses and a stabbing left a student in serious condition —  all within the first three weeks of school. 

The troubling start to the school year comes amid a rise in violence at LA Unified schools that has been ongoing for years.

Statistics provided by the district show a 33.7% increase from 4,950 to 6,620 in incidents of fighting and physical aggression between the 2022-23 school year and the 2023-24 school year. That’s up from 2,315 such incidents in the 2018-19 school year.

Parents are worried and school officials are debating what to do next to stop the violence. 

Evelyn Aleman, founder of the parents’ group Our Voice, said that parents are concerned for their kids’ safety. “They’re sending their children to school hoping that nothing happens,” said Aleman.

A surge in campus violence last year led some parents to petition for police returning to campuses in May, but the board ultimately opted for restorative measures focused on teaching students social-emotional skills to manage conflict.

Here are four things to know about increasing violence in LA schools and the district’s plan to fix the problem: 

1. LAUSD students feel less safe – and violence at school is increasing 

The latest data released in the district’s School Experience Survey shows a decline in students’ sense of safety over the last three school years.

In the 2023-2024 school year, just 58.5% of elementary students, 55.2% of middle school students, and 51.6% of high school students reported feeling safe in their schools —a significant drop from previous years.

Fighting and physical aggression increased by 16.8% from the 2022-2023 school year to 2023-2024, while threats surged by 28.5%. Incidents involving illegal or controlled substances rose by 23.8% during the same period. 

Additionally, comparison data for the start of the school year through September 5 revealed an increase of more than 25% for this year in fighting on campus, compared to last year. 

2. Debates continue over whether the police should return to campus

Since LAUSD banned police from its campus in 2020, there has been constant debate over whether they should return to campuses.

In May after reports of increased violence and accidents in the district, LA school police were briefly reinstated for one day before the school board removed them again. 

Parents “feel that a police presence could make a real difference in their schools,” Aleman said.

But the district and its board are less convinced. District officials are still considering a recommendation by a district task force that schools make their own decisions about whether to have police on campus. 

Board members have argued that police won’t prevent violent behaviors from occurring and instead pushed for other measures, such as mental health supports.  

“It’s not about fear or authority,” said board member Tanya Ortiz Franklin. “It’s about teaching kids to make good choices and supporting them when they’re struggling.”

3. The district is developing new tools to end schools’ increasing violence 

LA Unified Chief of School Operations Andres Chait said the district is working to promote a culture of safety, and its work with local law enforcement agencies and city governments ensures a prompt response to violent incidents.

“We continuously review and refine our safety protocols,” said Chait.

One fresh effort underway in the district is a new peer-to-peer mentoring program underway at 50 LAUSD secondary schools. The program will begin as early as next month, with up to 100 student mentors to provide peer counseling by spring.

Also, in 2023, LAUSD rolled out the Los Angeles Schools Anonymous Reporting (LASAR) app, allowing the school community to anonymously report suspicious activity, mental health concerns, and other safety issues.

Additionally, the district is building new partnerships with law enforcement, community organizations, and municipalities to create safer campuses for students, according to a district spokesman.

4. Parents want solutions, but some said they felt left out of LAUSD’s plans to increase safety 

In response to questions about LA Unified’s handling of safety concerns, a district spokesman referred LA School Report to LAUSD’s 2023-2026 safety blueprint, which outlined increased collaboration between the district, police and other law enforcement, as well as plans to enhance social-emotional support for students.  

Also in 2023, LAUSD rolled out the Los Angeles Schools Anonymous Reporting (LASAR) app, allowing the school community to anonymously report suspicious activity, mental health concerns, and other safety issues. 

However, Aleman said, many families feel left out of LA Unified’s plans to shore up campuses. 

“It is unclear to many parents what a school safety plan looks like, for their individual schools,” said Aleman. 

This article is part of a collaboration between The 74 and the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

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