Parents, neighbors and faculty members of Ascend Charter School in Oakland are voicing their concerns and urging the city to remove a homeless encampment that is blocking the school's emergency exit, posing a serious safety risk.

The encampment, located on a dead-end street near the intersection of San Leandro Street and 38th Avenue, is situated directly in front of Ascend's emergency gate.

Ascend serves roughly 500 students, from transitional kindergarten through eighth grade. Perla Benitez, a parent with three children enrolled at Ascend, expressed deep concern for her children's safety.

"We want that area secured and [be able to open the gate] in case there is an emergency," Benitez said.

The encampment, which includes a trailer and a handful of cars, has for months been a source of distress for both parents and neighbors.  

They said it would slow down evacuation efforts if there's a fire at the school or an earthquake. 

Just about a week ago, a two-alarm fire caused significant damage to a vacant building near the school, a structure that neighbors said had been home to some of the homeless individuals living in the area.  

Benitez also described unsettling behavior at the encampment. 

"[The students] have seen people use needles right there.  They have seen people fighting, like couples fighting," she said.

The emergency gate is also what separates the encampment from the school's outdoor gardening class. Fatima Amaya, another concerned parent, recounted a conversation with her first-grade son about troubling sights during his gardening class.

"My son is like 'Why do people poke themselves?'  And I'm like 'What do you mean poke themselves?' [He said], 'They use poky stuff for their arms.'  He was so specific about it. But yet, he doesn't know what it is.  But he's triggered by it.  And that scares me as a parent. Him saying that a man was hitting a woman," Amaya shared.

The safety concerns extend beyond drug use and fighting. One school official provided a photo of a person reportedly climbing over the fence from the encampment to steal items from the school. 

Additionally, parents allege that some individuals are using the encampment as a chop shop, abandoning stolen cars in front of the emergency exit to dismantle them for parts or store drugs.

"They're stolen, they bring them here, and then they start ripping them apart, selling parts. Or they use it as a storage for their drugs and people come and buy their drugs from there," Amaya explained.

Despite months of emails and requests from parents and neighbors, the city has yet to take significant action to remove the encampment. Both the California Highway Patrol and Oakland police have interacted with residents of the encampment multiple times, but the issue persists.

"It's saddening, it's disheartening. I sometimes want to give up and just switch cities. But I love Oakland," Benitez said. 

"I love our school. I love our community. It's a great school," Amaya added.

At a Friday event, CBS News Bay Area asked Oakland's Interim Mayor Kevin Jenkins and Acting Public Works Director Josh Rowan for comment on the ongoing problem.

"Our team has been clearing encampments in a humane way and offering housing as well," Jenkins said.

Rowan explained that there are limitations in resources for the issue. 

"It's a high volume of encampments that have to be dealt with. And you look at the encampment plan and schools are certainly high-risk areas. And there's only so much capacity this team has and we have one team doing it," he said.

City officials acknowledged the problem and the Encampment Management Team was reportedly aware of the situation. However, they asked for patience. 

For parents like Perla Benitez, that patience is running out.

"I just want my kids and all the children here at Ascend to feel safe. They see this toxic environment. I understand we're in Oakland, but that shouldn't be a norm," Benitez said.

As the safety concerns grow, parents, faculty and neighbors continue to call for immediate action to protect the students and the community.

About five years ago, Oakland leaders passed an ordinance banning encampments from setting up next to schools, but the city said enforcement has been challenging due to a lack of resources.