Parent tells LAUSD board principal physically restrained her during school meeting; requests independent review

A parent told the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education on Dec. 17 that she was physically restrained by a principal at a school meeting and asked the board to open an independent review.

“My name is Kiana, and I’m the parent of three students in the Los Angeles Unified School District,” the caller said during public comment, describing an incident on Dec. 11 at 40th Street Elementary School in which she said Principal Jeremy McDavid “physically grabbed me by both arms and restrained me inside his closed office” for more than a minute as she tried to leave after raising concerns about a staff member. She said her 7‑year‑old child witnessed the episode and that she did not consent to being touched.

Kiana told the board she had attempted to reference LAUSD policy that addresses staff behavior toward students and that she was “told by Principal McDavid that I was just a mom and had no relationship to LAUSD.” She said she has experienced physical symptoms since the incident and fears retaliation. “Chanel Thomas must be held accountable, and Principal Jeremy McDavid must resign or be relieved from his duties and have no access to children and parents pending your investigation,” she said.

The speaker said she had been informed the district’s student safety–investigating team and Region South were handling the matter. The board’s presiding officer said the district would follow its procedures and noted that personnel and student‑discipline matters had been listed on the closed‑session agenda under the statutory provisions read at the meeting.

The board recessed into closed session; when it reported out later, it announced several personnel and litigation actions (see separate report). The parent’s request for an independent oversight review was made during public comment and was not acted on publicly during the meeting.

Because the matter involves personnel and student‑discipline proceedings, the board discussed related items in closed session under Government Code and Education Code authorities the presiding officer read at the start of the meeting. The district spokesman or board office did not provide an on‑the‑record response to the allegation during public comment.

What happens next: the speaker asked the board to direct an independent oversight committee to investigate and to restrict the principal’s access to students and parents while the inquiry is pending; the board did not announce a public action on that request during the Dec. 17 meeting.

Reporting note: the allegation and the speaker’s request for an independent review were made on the record in public comment; any formal personnel or investigatory steps the district is taking are part of closed‑session records or subsequent administrative actions and were not detailed on the public record during this meeting.