LAUSD is under pressure to explain thousands of annual campus fights after a Franklin High School senior died following a bullying attack.
Xavier Nungaray, 17, jumped from the fourth floor of a school building this week after a classmate verbally and physically assaulted him, according to reports. His stepmother said LA that the teen had endured relentless bullying throughout high school and was reluctant to report it.
“He was scared that he was gonna end up getting punished instead of the bullies,” she said.
The tragedy has intensified scrutiny of district-wide violence data presented at a November 2025 committee meeting. LAUSD recorded 5,636 fights and other acts of aggression during the 2024-25 school year, a slight decrease from 5,707 the year prior. The district declined to provide current-year fight figures to The California Post.
LAUSD insiders told The California Post that Franklin High School faces a particularly acute bullying problem. Former LAUSD board member David Tokofsky, who led the district encompassing Franklin for twelve years, tied the school’s violence to its location.
“That’s because the Avenues gang is one of the most notorious gangs in the city,” he said, noting Franklin sits on their turf.
Tokofsky pointed to reduced police presence on campuses as a factor leaving the district more responsible for incidents like the bullying that allegedly preceded Nungaray’s death. LAUSD voted in 2021 to slash millions from the Los Angeles School Police Department’s budget, eliminating more than 130 positions. It wasn’t immediately clear if an officer was on campus at the time of Nungaray’s death.
Student survey data reveals bullying reports at their highest level since 2021-22, with 17% of students district-wide saying they were bullied. Physical bullying reports — including shoving, hitting and kicking — surged dramatically from 6% in 2024-25 to 15% in 2025-26. The annual spring survey collects feedback from students, parents, staff, and teachers across all LAUSD schools.
At Franklin specifically, the numbers appeared lower: just 8% of seniors reported bullying, with 5% describing it as physical. The school’s overall bullying reporting rate stood at 11%.
The fallout will test new LAUSD Superintendent Andrés Chiat, who replaced former boss Alberto Carvalho after Carvalho departed amid a federal investigation, Tokofsky noted.
“We’ll see if he has any leadership skills,” the former board member said. “If he dances away from that issue, he’s just avoiding a dust-up with Black Lives Matter, the board members and the teachers’ union.”
The district issued condolences to Nungaray’s family while noting the circumstances remain under Los Angeles Police Department investigation.
“Our hearts are with family, friends, classmates, teachers, and the community during this difficult time. Los Angeles Unified is working closely with Franklin High School, providing support and resources to students and staff who may be impacted by this loss,” the district said in a statement.
“Meanwhile, the circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department.”
Anti-bullying advocates have demanded an independent investigation into any bullying Nungaray endured. The Uvalde Foundation for Kids, established after the 2022 Robb Elementary School mass shooting in Uvalde, is pressing for extensive examination of circumstances surrounding the death.
Daniel Chapin, founder and president of the Youth Peace & Justice Foundation, emphasized the need for accountability.
“This is not about deciding what happened before the facts are known,” he said. “It is about making sure the questions are actually asked and answered.”
“When a family says their child was being bullied, and a student says she witnessed him being physically attacked immediately before his death, those statements deserve a serious, independent examination. The family should not have to investigate this themselves,” he added.
The district faced earlier controversy this year following the death of 12-year-old Zavaleta, who was allegedly struck in the head with a metal water bottle while defending her older sister from bullies in a school hallway. Police arrested a Reseda student on suspicion of murder in April, but the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner classified Zavaleta’s death as “natural” the following month, citing a congenital blood vessel condition. Prosecutors are now reviewing the criminal case’s viability. Zavaleta’s family has disputed the finding, noting she had no prior symptoms, and filed a wrongful-death and negligence claim against LAUSD.
