Community members are calling for greater access to mental health services and a stronger school police presence as questions surrounding the student’s death remain under investigation.
The death of a Franklin High School senior has left students, parents, and community members in Highland Park grieving while also raising renewed questions about bullying, student mental health, and safety in Los Angeles Unified schools.
The student, identified by family and those attending a memorial as 17-year-old Xavier Nungaray, died Wednesday after falling from a fourth-floor corridor at Benjamin Franklin High School. His mother confirmed to NBC Los Angeles that Xavier was a senior at the school. A memorial quickly grew outside the campus as students, parents and neighbors gathered with flowers and candles to remember him.
The circumstances surrounding the fall remain under investigation. Videos circulating on social media appear to show Xavier involved in an altercation with another student before he ran through an outdoor corridor and went over the railing. NBC Los Angeles reported that other video appears to show a teacher attempting to intervene before Xavier was punched. Police have said there is no evidence of foul play at this time, although the investigation continues.
For many parents and students, however, the incident has brought renewed attention to concerns about bullying that existed before Wednesday.
Parents who spoke with the Los Angeles Times said they were concerned about bullying following Xavier’s death. Students interviewed by the newspaper described the campus as generally safe, but said the tragedy made them more conscious of classmates who may be struggling.
A parent interviewed by NBC Los Angeles said her daughter knew Xavier and described him as a quiet and nice student. The parent said that after the death, her daughter chose to stay home from school while dealing with the loss.
Another parent, Jessica Gomez, told ABC7 that hearing about the death was frightening and urged parents to take bullying seriously. She said parents should intervene when they know their children are bullying another student, even when the behavior is presented as a joke.
Family members have also described a history of bullying involving Xavier. His aunt, Stephanie Amaya, said the family had been aware of problems involving bullying and that Xavier had wanted to change schools because of what he was experiencing.
Those accounts are important to the family’s understanding of what happened, but authorities have not established that bullying caused his death. The videos and witness accounts may provide investigators with information about what happened immediately before the fall, but the circumstances remain under investigation.
The tragedy is unfolding against a larger discussion about student mental health across LAUSD.
The district has described youth mental health as a major concern and has expanded school-based mental health services, including counseling, psychiatric social workers, and other support for students and families. LAUSD has also continued efforts to address suicide prevention, emotional well-being, and the stigma surrounding mental health challenges.
The district has acknowledged that students can face anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, cyberbullying, and other challenges that can affect their ability to succeed at school.
LAUSD has also recognized the relationship between bullying and student mental health. District guidance says students involved in bullying, whether as targets, perpetrators or witnesses, can face increased risks of suicide related behavior, particularly when other risk factors are present. At the same time, the district cautions against treating bullying as a single or automatic cause of suicidal behavior.
The response to Xavier’s death has also included calls on social media for a stronger school police presence. Some community members say the incident demonstrates the need for additional security on campuses and more officers available to respond when conflicts occur.
That discussion comes as LAUSD faces continuing financial pressures and a history of reductions to its school police budget. In 2021, the district approved a $25 million reduction to school police funding while directing money toward other student services. More recent budget discussions have included additional reductions.
LAUSD still maintains its own school police department, however, and officers were involved in the response to the Franklin High School incident.
Whether additional police officers could have prevented what happened at Franklin High School is not known. There is currently no evidence establishing that a lack of police presence contributed to Xavier’s death.
The incident also occurred just one day after an LAUSD school safety committee meeting in which officials presented data showing that violent incidents had declined compared with the previous school year.
For Xavier’s family, classmates and neighbors, the immediate concern is grief. For parents across the district, the tragedy has also become an opportunity to ask difficult questions about how schools respond when students are bullied, how quickly struggling students can receive mental health support, and what role school police should play in keeping campuses safe.
As the investigation continues, those questions are likely to remain part of the conversation surrounding Franklin High School and the wider LAUSD community.
As the family prepares to lay Xavier to rest, a GoFundMe campaign organized by Lilia Nungaray is helping raise money for funeral expenses and other financial needs following his death. The campaign describes Xavier as a caring and loving son whose death has left a deep void for those who knew him. The fundraiser has set a goal of $100,000 and has drawn support from more than 1,500 donors.
