Santa Rosa City Schools has agreed to pay $6.25 million to settle two civil lawsuits stemming from the March 2023 fatal stabbing of a student at Montgomery High School — the largest payout by a Sonoma County public agency from a single event in county history.
Key Takeaways
- The district will pay $3.5 million to the family of Jayden Pienta, 16, who was killed, and $2.75 million to the family of Daniel Pulido, the student who stabbed him.
- A notice of settlement was filed April 8 in Sonoma County Superior Court, ahead of a civil jury trial that had been scheduled for later this month.
- Both families’ attorneys alleged district officials knew about ongoing tensions between two groups of students and failed to intervene before the violence turned fatal.
- The district said the payout is covered by its self-funded insurance pool and should not affect its ongoing fiscal recovery.
- The $6.25 million combined total is a record for a single incident involving a Sonoma County public agency.
What happened on March 1, 2023
At approximately 11:11 a.m. on a Wednesday morning, Jayden Pienta walked into an art classroom at Montgomery High and confronted Pulido, whom he believed had slashed his tires. Roughly 27 students, a teacher, and three aides were in the room. Pulido, then 15, stabbed Pienta with a folding knife. Pienta was helped to the school office by a fellow student and died at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital at 11:56 a.m. His last reported words to paramedics were, “I’m going to die right now. Tell my mom and dad I love them.”
In November 2023, a Sonoma County juvenile court judge found Pulido not responsible for the killing, ruling that Pienta had been the aggressor and that Pulido acted in self-defense. Pulido was placed on probation for having a weapon on campus.
What the lawsuits alleged
Both families sued the district, the school, and several administrators — including former Principal Adam Paulson and Vice Principal Tyler Ahlborn — claiming officials knew the two groups of students had a history of conflict and failed to act. The Pienta family’s attorney, Michael Henderson, said the death was “tragic and preventable.” Social media videos documenting roughly 47 fights on campus during the 2022–2023 school year were cited as evidence of a campus violence culture the district ignored. Critically, both lawsuits alleged that school staff passed the two groups on a golf cart the morning of the stabbing — a moment plaintiffs’ attorneys say represented a clear opportunity to intervene. The Pulido family separately alleged the district failed to protect Daniel despite his family repeatedly raising fears for his safety in the weeks before the stabbing.
The settlement avoids a civil trial that would have put harrowing details back before the public. “A big factor in this case was the school district’s prior knowledge about the issues between these two groups of kids, and that it could result in violence,” said attorney Steven Clark. “They had a duty at that point to protect all of their students.”
A district already under strain
The $6.25 million payout arrives as Santa Rosa City Schools is navigating one of the most difficult financial periods in its history. The district has closed six schools and laid off more than 100 staff over the past two years, and earlier this year the county certified its budget with “grave concerns” about long-term solvency. District officials said the settlement is covered by a pooled self-insurance program and does not come directly from the operating budget — though taxpayer money ultimately funds those insurance reserves. The district also acknowledged that school resource officers, removed from campuses in 2020, have been approved to return but remain undeployed due to lack of funding — a gap critics say this case underscores. Meanwhile, the district recently moved forward on replacing all five high school turf fields, a decision that some community members may view with fresh scrutiny in light of this record settlement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will this settlement raise my taxes or affect the school district’s budget cuts?
District officials say the $6.25 million will be paid through its self-funded, pooled insurance program — not directly out of the operating budget that covers teachers and school programs. However, insurance reserve funds are built from district contributions over time, meaning taxpayer money is ultimately the source. Officials stated the settlement should not affect ongoing fiscal recovery efforts.
What happened to Daniel Pulido after the stabbing?
Pulido was charged in juvenile court with voluntary manslaughter and bringing a weapon on campus. In November 2023, a juvenile court judge found him not criminally responsible for Jayden Pienta’s death, ruling that Pienta had been the aggressor and that Pulido acted in self-defense. Pulido was placed on probation for the weapons charge. His family’s civil lawsuit against the district has now been settled for $2.75 million.
Are there now school resource officers at Montgomery High?
Not yet. The Santa Rosa school board voted to remove school resource officers from campuses in 2020. Officials have since approved their return to middle and high schools, but the program has not been implemented due to a lack of funding. The stabbing occurred in a period when no SROs were assigned to the campus.
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