About 100 students gathered outside Reseda Charter High School Tuesday afternoon, chanting “Justice for Khimberly” in protest against the administration for what they view as inaction following the recent death of their 12-year-old classmate Khimberly Zavaleta Chuquipa.
Khimberly died Feb. 25 from complications of a brain hemorrhage. Her family said the medical emergency directly resulted from being hit in the back of the head by a metal water bottle during an alleged bullying incident on campus Feb. 17 that originally targeted Khimberly’s older sister.
Khimberly was hit after she stepped in to try to pull her sister away from the altercation.
Near an outside memorial they set up for her, students held up handmade signs that echoed their chants: “We want justice!” and “You didn’t deserve this!”
On the school website, administrators posted a message to students, stating:
“As a school community, we are grieving the loss of a fellow student. We know many of you have feelings, questions and concerns. We want to create a respectful and productive space for you to be heard.
“Please share your thoughts honestly. Your responses will help us better support students while following district guidelines that protect student privacy.”
Students are directed to a private link available only to Reseda Charter students, where they are encouraged to post their personal comments.
But Jamie Ramirez, a junior at Reseda Charter, thinks the school isn’t doing or saying enough.
“I’m beyond devastated and angry. I think that’s … an understatement,” said Ramirez, pointing out that “a girl was killed” because of something that happened to her on school grounds.
“Reseda refuses to acknowledge that. They like to sugarcoat it and frame it in a way that makes them sound innocent, like [Khimberly] passed away in some accident,” continued Ramirez. “But that was not the case. There was a violent altercation here, one of many, because it’s so normalized here at Reseda, and they just swept it under the rug like it was just another fight.”
A Reseda Charter student who asked to remain anonymous said he believes school officials are more concerned about safeguarding the school’s reputation than they are about telling the truth.
“That’s a child who died – someone who had a family, who had people who cared,” he said. “They’re disregarding that for their own sake, for their own image, to protect themselves.”
Jazlyn Galdamez, a senior at Valor Academy High School in North Hills, helped students at Reseda Charter get the word out about the protest in honor of Khimberly. Galdamez, who helped organize the valley-wide school walkouts last month, said she wants to continue showing up for “our community” in every way she can, especially in pursuit of justice for fellow students.
“Unfortunately, the circumstances we’re all meeting [under] today are very sad. … It’s a tragedy,” she said. “The school is refusing to acknowledge it, to take accountability. There’s so much that could have been done to prevent this, and, as students, we feel that not only does Khimberly deserve justice, but students deserve to know that they’re safe when they come to school.
“Students deserve [better],” said Galdamez. “Something has to change; that’s why we’re here today … [and] it makes me very hopeful to see so many students here, wanting to speak up.”