Northridge MS parents claim they weren't updated during school lockdown; school police responds
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. (KABC) -- A protest led by educators and parents at Northridge Middle School Thursday brought out dozens of supporters, all to demand accountability and action from school administrators following a chaotic and traumatic lockdown.
The incident happened Thursday, Nov. 14, when Los Angeles School Police were conducting a search near the campus. As a precaution, the school was locked down, but some parents said they didn't know what was happening.
"They don't tell us the details of events that happened," said Ivania Nolasco, a United Teachers Los Angeles member and teacher at the school. "They don't tell us before, or after, or even during the crisis, what we're expecting. We're not prepared to handle these kinds of events."
Teachers and parents told ABC7 the lockdown was the fourth time in recent weeks that there's been police activity around the campus that has interrupted the school day.
Some described the scene as police going on campus with their guns drawn.
The one common concern, according to the parents who spoke with Eyewitness News, is not knowing what exactly was going on.
"Transparency, first of all, and we want action from the district," said parent Sandra Valdovines when asked about what she wants. "Not just saying we're going to be here and then a couple of days later, lets continue as life as normal."
According to Los Angeles School Police, the department sent three messages to the Northridge Middle School community notifying them of what they were doing.
In a statement, the Los Angeles School Police Department said, "every effort was made to provide the school community with all available information in accordance with Los Angeles United Unified policy and with the assistance of the Los Angeles School Police Department. During the incident, we sent three timely messages to the Northridge Middle School Community, providing updates on the status of and information about the lockdown."
