The parents of a 14-year-old boy killed in a stabbing outside Santa Ana High School last month have filed a claim against the Santa Ana Unified School District alleging it did not provide enough campus security despite knowledge of previous fights on campus.
The claim, filed Monday, also claimed the district ignored warnings from the union representing Santa Ana police that there was not enough supervision on campus.
A claim is usually the precursor to a lawsuit. The district has 45 days to respond before the family can sue.
Speaking at a news conference Tuesday morning, attorney Luis A. Carrillo claimed another student was told by an assistant principal not to put pressure on the Armando Morales’ wound until paramedics arrived. Carillo said that led to the victim bleeding to death.
The school district, in a statement, said it was reviewing the legal claim.
“As this matter may involve potential litigation, the district is unable to provide further comment involving this claim,” the statement said.
On May 7, as the school day ended around 3:20 p.m., a fight among students believed to be in rival gangs started in an adjacent parking lot in the 400 block of West Walnut Street.
Morales, who police said was not a gang member, attempted to intervene and was fatally stabbed in the heart, the Orange County District Attorney’s office said previously.
Two other teens, ages 15 and 16, were hospitalized but survived.
Two students, brothers ages 15 and 17, turned themselves in to police later that night, police said. The 15-year-old was charged with murder.
In their claim, the parents allege the school district was “totally negligent” in failing to provide proper supervision and “because of the reckless and negligent supervision of Santa Ana High School, a student brought a knife on campus and murdered 14-year-old Armando Morales.”
The claim further alleges that fights occurred almost every day during and after school hours and that school officials failed to properly train staff to better protect students and prevent weapons from being brought to campus.
The district’s announcement of increased security on campus after the stabbings was an admittance that the district failed to protect students, the claim added.
Morales’ mother Brenda Aburto, speaking at the news conference, asked where school officials were and said she was angry at the district. She said she had felt her son was safe at school.
“My fear was outside in the streets,” she said. “My fear was not in here. I was thinking my child was safer in school than on the streets, but they failed me.
“I miss my child. My fourth child. My baby boy. I miss him every day emotionally and mentally,” she added. “There are days I don’t sleep at all.”
Michael Carrillo, a second attorney, said Armando’s attempt to protect another student prompted the two teens to “start shanking” him.
“This was a murder that shouldn’t have happened,” Michael Carrillo said.
City News Service contributed to this report.
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