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Parents, students tell RUSD board campus security failed at MLK and bathrooms leave students unsafe
Summary
At the June 5 Riverside Unified School District board meeting, parents and students pressed trustees over a May 20 security breach at Martin Luther King High School and widespread reports of unsafe bathroom conditions. The board and superintendent pledged follow-up inspections and summer work to address vulnerabilities.
About a dozen public commenters at the Riverside Unified School District Board of Education meeting on June 5 pressed trustees to act after a May 20 security breach at Martin Luther King High School and raised broader concerns about student safety and unsanitary or unsafe restrooms.
Vanessa Brogdon, speaking on behalf of “MLK families demand safety,” said five unauthorized adults entered the MLK campus during school hours and engaged in a physical altercation; she said no lockdown was initiated and staff and students received no immediate communication. Brogdon told the board that she was able to walk unchallenged onto several campus areas during a site visit and urged districtwide upgrades such as locked-entry lobbies and consistent security staffing.
Chase Slavin, a King student, described finding beer cans, vape cartridges and other contraband in school restrooms and said only one bathroom was open for roughly 1,500 male students during testing, leaving students unable to use facilities. “We can’t use the bathroom without feeling safe,” he told the board.
Other parent speakers and community members criticized what they described as inconsistent discipline and policies that deter staff from intervening when fights occur. One commenter said supervisors who previously intervened physically were later terminated and argued that those dismissals undermine campus safety.
The board and district administrators acknowledged the comments. Board member Doctor Noemi Hernandez Alexander said the district has been investing in systems — fences, checked-entry tools and a Raptor visitor management rollout — but emphasized that systems must be implemented and used on campus. Superintendent Hill noted summer rollout work and upgrades already in progress. Board President Brent Lee asked staff for an update on restroom supervision and campus security, and trustees agreed to request a status report on work to address bathroom safety and security over the summer or at the start of the school year.
What happens next: District staff said they will continue campus reviews, roll out the Raptor check-in system more broadly and monitor vulnerabilities noted by parents. Trustees asked that staff return with an update on bathroom access and security improvements by late summer or early fall. The board did not take formal action on the safety items at the meeting.
