Pierce County parents and school leaders are speaking out about on-campus safety amid an investigation by the Pierce County Sheriff's Office into the death last week of a sixth grade student.
The Franklin Pierce School District admits it has work to do to address families' concerns.
A couple dozen students and parents on Monday protested outside district headquarters for hours Monday morning, demanding a stop to bullying and for schools to keep their kids safe.
“It’s hard to hear," district spokesperson Joel Zylstra said. "But honestly, it’s what we need to be hearing, what we need to be working on."
Some in the Parkland and Midland communities are mourning the loss of Lenyia Swansey-Faafiti, 11, who died last week after an on-campus confrontation.
“She was a very vibrant member of the community," Zylstra said. "Folks really liked her. She was involved."
Families said there is concern that the girl's death happened because of some kind of altercation at Ford Middle School, but the medical examiner’s office had not yet released her cause of death as of Monday evening.
“There’s a couple things we do know," Zylstra said. "There was an incident last Monday that occurred on the school campus. The student came to school on Tuesday, participated in activities after school. And then that night or early the next morning was admitted into the hospital."
Another student recorded a video of that incident and the district handed it over to sheriff's detectives. Authorities have so fardeclined to release the video to KOMO News.
Zylstra said schools are now looking into possibly adding more cameras on campus, and offering more mental health support for students.
“I think the big part is how do we create a culture -- a school culture where both the adults and the students are both holding one another accountable?” he said.
The sheriff's office couldn't reveal any details about the investigation since it involves the health of a minor, so it's unclear if there have been any arrests and if there was a fight.
A student award ceremony scheduled for Tuesday night will instead now be a town hall for families to talk about their concerns.