Over 75 people gathered at the Church of the Recessional at Forest Lawn Glendale for the funeral of Khimberly Zavaleta, the beloved 12-year-old girl who died due to a fatal head injury after being hit by a metal water bottle during a bullying incident at Reseda Charter High School.
“When I try to speak about her, it just breaks me,” said Khimberly’s cousin Geraldine Chavarria Baltazar through tears, who spoke with the San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol before the funeral. “Losing Khimberly is so painful for all of us, but we’re trying so hard to be strong, above all else for my aunt [Elma Chuquipa, Khimberly’s mother]. This is a pain you never recover from. She is never going to see her youngest daughter again and I’ll never be with my little cousin again.
“We all used to go out and have fun together; we went to so many different places,” she recalled. “All of that was lost forever, from one day to the next. There are no words to give us solace; the pain from her loss will always be with us. Now we demand justice. Those children – I know they’re minors … may carry what they did in their conscience, because what happened is not fair. … Khimberly didn’t deserve to die this way.”
Liz Trugman, Khimberly’s aunt, spoke during the service, her voice wavering with emotion.
“I want to thank everyone for being here with us today, supporting us in this difficult moment for our family,” she said. “We have so many cherished memories of Khimberly. I know that … God has his plans, and it’s very difficult to understand, but we are confident she is in a better place.”
Fatal Bullying
During a press conference last week, Khimberly’s mother said she spoke with school administrators at Reseda Charter to report that Khimberly and her sister, Sharon, 15, were being subjected to bullying by classmates who “were threatening to hit them,” she said. When the bullying continued with no action by the school, Chuquipa said she spoke with school officials again, “but they never did anything about it,” she recounted while trying to hold back tears.
On Feb. 17, Khimberly, her sister and their 13-year-old niece were accosted by classmates, who were targeting her sister. Khimberly stepped in to try to help her. That’s when a metal water bottle was thrown and struck her in the back of the head, said a lawyer for the family.
Although she went to the emergency room later that same day, complaining of a headache, she was released without imaging, such as a CT scan. Khimberly was hospitalized four days later with a brain hemorrhage, underwent surgery and various medical procedures. She died Feb. 25, eight days after the fatal bullying incident.
On March 11, Khimberly’s family filed a formal claim against the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), alleging that they failed to protect Khimberly despite repeated reports of bullying. The legal action is the first step before filing a lawsuit. LAUSD has 45 days to respond.
Community Support Online
A recent Facebook post by the San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol about Khimberly’s family planning her funeral and filing a claim against LAUSD received more than 1,600 reactions and over 300 comments. People shared prayers and expressed an outpouring of support for Khimberly’s relatives, sadness over her death and outrage about the violent bullying.
Carol Walker, a retired elementary school teacher, wrote: “This is one of the saddest things I have heard this year. I feel so much for her family and their loss. Vicious act by the bully. I hope they are severely punished.”
“I support this family in their legal actions against LAUSD. They need to take care of our kids,” commented San Dee. “School is not supposed to be a place to worry if your child won’t come [home]. It should [be] a safe place. Shame on them for not taking care [of] this little girl.”
“Unbelievably heartbreaking! The bullying HAS to STOP!” wrote Dana Delano. “If the parents mentioned it to the staff, they should have taken it seriously and done something about the fighting. … They should have hired some security for the school! Hopefully, this terrible situation will open some people’s eyes [and] they can figure out some type of resolution to the bullying!”
Mildred Carter suggested the possibility of classes on the subject of bullying for both parents and children, especially in light of “such a beautiful child dying because of being bullied.”
Khimberly, who lived in Sherman Oaks with her family, was born in Lima, Peru, and immigrated to the United States with her parents and siblings five years ago. She was the youngest of four sisters and one brother, and had several cousins, nieces and nephews and other family members.
Pastor Eduardo Belmont said Khimberly was not only the little girl of the family, she was also “a treasure for God.”
“Please remember that this painful moment isn’t an eternal farewell; it’s an ‘I’ll see you later.’ … Someday we will see Khimberly again,” said Belmont, addressing her family and loved ones. “Though her life was short, her impact was great and she will always be loved and remembered.”
For the GoFundMe page for the Zavaleta-Chuquipa family, go to: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-lay-12yearold-khimberly-to-rest.
To see the Change.org petition calling for “The Khimberly Act,” go to: https://c.org/XfVKdNsDHr.