Moreno Valley Unified School District statement, Oct.

29, 2019

Diego’s death has certainly impacted our school community. Our hearts go
out to the family for their loss, and we understand and respect their desire
to better understand how this criminal incident happened.

In response to argument on MVUSD’s liability:

This claim alleges the District is legally liable for Diego’s death. That
is not the case. The two boys who attacked and killed Diego are
responsible for this death.

In response to allegations about non-cooperation with the Sheriff’s Office:

This criminal incident is being actively investigated by law
enforcement. The District has fully cooperated with the Sheriff’s
Department investigators, and will continue to do so. Additionally, the
District has not withheld any documentation requested by law
enforcement and has not discouraged any district personnel from
meeting with the investigating officers, as is incorrectly alleged in the
claim.

In response to questions about disciplinary matters:

State laws mandate that school districts protect the due process and
privacy rights of students and staff. State law also prevents the
District from disclosing details of disciplinary matters involving
students and staff. Unfortunately, therefore, at the District cannot
comment on the specific allegations raised in this claim.

In response to statistics reported on incidents at Landmark Middle School:

News accounts have exaggerated the data about law enforcement
responding to calls for service from Landmark. While recent reports
refer to 137 calls over an eighteen month period (covering last year
and this year), Only 38 of those 137 involved suspected violence or
theft, and only 12 of those incidents resulted in a police report being
filed.

In response to the claim that MVUSD did not prevent Diego from being
bullied:
Bullying in schools is a national issue. This issue constitutes a shared
responsibility amongst parents, students, school district personnel,
community leaders and law enforcement. Together, we need to send
a resounding message these behaviors will not be tolerated in our
schools. Keeping kids safe in schools is a high priority at MVUSD.