Exclusive TV Interview: Father of Lompoc teen stabbed concerned about school safety

Posted: Mar 30, 2011 6:20 PM by Ariel Wesler
Updated: Mar 31, 2011 8:04 AM

The father of the teen stabbed at Lompoc High School on Monday thinks some big changes are needed to make the school safer.

17-year-old Brandon Moorman was stabbed in a school bathroom during lunch.

Three juveniles have been arrested, charged with assault with a deadly weapon with a gang enhancement.

Moorman continues to recover at Lompoc Valley Medical Center.

Larry Moorman says his son is out of intensive care, but the stabbing Monday at Lompoc High School is still fresh in his mind.

"I have slept, maybe an hour or two a night for the past three days," said Larry Moorman, Brandon's father. "This is not going away. It's going to be in our brains."

The stabbing is prompting him to step up and point out safety concerns, before it happens again.

"It's a whole different ball game when you're sitting there looking at your son, you know, who can't talk to you," Moorman said. "There were clearly problems with the procedures."

It is absolutely not the school's fault," said Lompoc High School Principal Alfonso Garagarza.

He insists the school is safe and says this is an isolated incident.

"It is an issue that has been ongoing in the community between individuals that have a history, which has worked its way onto our campus," Garagarza said.

Since Monday, the school has called parents, added a second school resource officer, and sent memos to teachers and staff encouraging them to stay visible, but Moorman wants to see metal detectors and limited access to restrooms.

"It could have been stopped. That wouldn't have happened because you would have only had traffic to the bathrooms in that area," Moorman said.

Garagarza: "Our security measures have been in place the entire year."

Ariel: "But yet this was still able to happen, which means something needs to be changed, correct?

Garagarza: "We can all improve."

Garagarza says he is open to any safety suggestions from the community and promises to leave no stone unturned.

Moorman says he's expecting his son to be released from the hospital in about a week.