The family of a 12-year-old girl who died after a fight has filed a claim against the Los Angeles Unified School District.
The family's attorney, Robert Glassman, told KNX News that Khimberly Zavaleta was defending her older sister against a group of bullies last month at Reseda Charter High when a fight broke out.
“You have dozens of kids on campus at Reseda Charter High School who are, in one way or another, involved in this big bullying incident, this big fight in broad daylight at school, and not a single administrator is around to break it up,” Glassman said. “Not a single adult or teacher is around to break it up.”
Khimberly was hit in the head with a metal water bottle. She suffered a traumatic brain injury and died less than a week later.
Glassman added that before the fight happened, the family told the school there was bullying going on.
“Kimberly's mother told the school that her daughters were being bullied prior to this day,” he said. “She told them on numerous occasions that her daughters were being bullied, and the school assured her that they would deal with it. We don't know what that means, that they would deal with it, but they said they would, but they never did.”
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LAUSD officials declined to comment on the claim, but said in a previous statement that it takes student safety seriously and is cooperating with police.
Police are investigating, but no arrests have been made yet.
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