Family of student who died after being hit by water bottle says LAUSD failed to stop bullying
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It seemed to be a regular day at Reseda Charter High School.For Khimberly Zavaleta Chuquipa, that meant trouble.The 12-year-old was on campus on Feb.
17 when she saw her older sister, Sharon, being bullied by a group of students, her family says.It wasn’t the first time.
She and her sister had been targets of such torment before.Khimberly moved to intervene.
In the ensuing melee, she was hit in the head with a metal water bottle — causing injuries so severe that she was hospitalized, and later died.Her death left her family devastated and demanding answers.
“She dreamed of becoming a doctor, and she would always tell me that she would take care of me,” said her mother, Elma Chuquipa Sanchez, as she wiped away tears.The family on Wednesday filed a wrongful-death claim against the Los Angeles Unified School District, alleging school officials failed to investigate reports of bullying, adequately supervise student interactions or implement effective safety measures.An LAUSD spokesperson said the district does not comment on pending or ongoing litigation.“When violence escalates, that’s a breakdown of student safety, and that’s exactly what happened here with the LAUSD,” said Robert Glassman.
The attorney, a partner with one of the three law firms representing the family, said during a news conference Wednesday morning that the “tragedy really highlights and underscores the very real and devastating consequences of unchecked bullying.” California A 12-year-old girl defending her older sister was struck in the head by a metal water bottle at Reseda Charter High School.She died eight days later.
Police are investigating the death as a homicide.In their claim, a precursor to a lawsuit, Khimberly’s family alleges the Feb.17 incident was not the first time their girls had been “bullied and harassed on campus.” Their mother, the claim alleged, “had repeate...