The Van Nuys High School stabbing incident on November 1 increased the security measures as Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Alberto Carvalho ordered police presence on campus.
Three students were stabbed and hospitalized, which temporarily put the high school on lockdown.
High School Stabbing Incident Increases Security Measures on Campus
Carvalho said the students were already back in the school after a temporary lockdown. The student's lunches were sent to them, and the school normally operated for the rest of the day.
In a press conference, Carvalho noted that he had observed that there were no police officers on the district's school campuses during the day due to the 2020 policy implemented by the Los Angeles Unified Board of Education.
Parents were now demanding immediate decision change as the policy could endanger their children's safety since the stabbing incident.
One parent said that they need officers at all times and not just for the stabbing incident. The parent added that the school needs an officer inside and metal detectors.
However, he confirmed that only minutes after the stabbing started, the police responded immediately to the campus.
He said that despite the board policy against on-campus officers, he would order police presence on the Van Nuys campus to safeguard the safety of the students. But he did not state how long the police would be around the campus.
"Since I arrived in Los Angeles, I have directed regional superintendents and the principals, if they know of, suspect of any information that would put them in the position of feeling that the presence of a police officer and to ensure safety and security of the school would be appropriate, they can request the presence of [police]," he said.
The district and school officials refused to comment on the update on how long police would remain on campus and the injuries of the students. Furthermore, LAUSD's School Police also did not answer a request for comment.
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Campus Safety Program
Los Angeles Unified's board and the Los Angeles County Supervisors approved a program that would increase campus safety by collaborating with county and district departments in response to the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, last July.
The program encouraged parents, teachers, and school administrators to suggest ways to prevent violence and to develop a pilot safety program that would be effective in the district's schools with the highest levels of on-campus violence.
In the Van Nuys High School stabbing incident, Carvalho reported that the three teenage boys were hospitalized with two stab wounds that were recognized as non-life-threatening injuries and another for what he called "battery actions."
He added that the stabbing occurred in the school's quad area, and 11 more students were involved in the violence. The witnesses believed that the incident was gang-related.
