The death of 12-year-old Khimberly Zavaleta Chuquipa after a school bullying incident has raised questions about whether more could have been done to prevent the tragedy. While her family alleges repeated warnings were ignored, experts note that broader trends show improvement. UCLA professor Ron Avi Astor shared with the Los Angeles Times that bullying has declined significantly, saying California has seen it “dropping dramatically” over the past two decades. A study he co-authored found a 56% decline in fights at California secondary schools from 2001 to 2019.

“Schools are now more aware than they used to be, and there’s more interventions, there’s more programs,” Astor said. “I think school sites are very serious [about addressing bullying], because it could cause physical harm and unfortunately, in this situation, even death.”