New Jersey students slammed school officials for “doing nothing” to prevent the suicide of bullied 14-year-old Adriana Kuch in a tense school board meeting on Thursday night.
Hundreds of fellow students, parents and community members packed the auditorium at Central Regional High School in Bayville, where they condemned the alleged inaction of Central Regional School District officials over what they say is a culture of bullying.
In a heartbreaking speech, Adriana’s friend Hailie Engesser told the crowd gathered how the teenager had asked for help multiple times from the school but “you guys just sat there and did nothing”.
“[Adriana] already reported numerous reports about how she was being bullied, and you guys just sat there and did nothing,” she said, according to the New York Post.
“It’s actually really, really hard to be going to school because of all the bullying and everything that’s been going on.
“But it’s the fact that you didn’t notify the police about that or about Adriana. She was on the floor blacked out... You guys could have prevented that.”
Other students spoke out about their own suffering at the hands of bullies – and claimed that their pleas for help had also fallen on deaf ears.
Junior Milo Luga told the board that she has been left “suicidal” after being bullied “every day” since seventh grade over her sexuality.
“I’ve been to mental hospitals, and I’ve been suicidal, and I’ve self-harmed in the past because of what happened to me in the school,” she said.
Her mother had spoken to “every single person you can think of” at the school to try to get the bullying to stop but the family was not given “any genuine help”, she said.
At one point in the meeting, tensions reached boiling point with parents, students and community members shouting at the board – and the board president threatening to shut the meeting down altogether.
As the situation became somewhat calmer, Douglas Corbett was voted in as the school’s new superintendent, replacing Triantafillos Parlapanides, who resigned at the weekend.
Mr Parlapanides’ exit came after he responded to criticism of the school’s handling of the bullying by pushing the blame for Adriana’s suicide onto drugs and her parents’ marriage.
His comments sparked further outrage from Adriana’s family and the wider community.
Adriana, 14, died by suicide 48 hours after a video of her being viciously attacked in a hallway at Central Regional High School in Berkeley Township surfaced on social media.
Her father, Michael Kuch, was critical of the school for failing to file a police report or moving to take down the viral footage, which led to his daughter being taunted and mocked.
Mr Kuch told NBC New York that one of the girls who assaulted his daughter had been threatening her online for several years, and that he believes the bullying drove his daughter to suicide.
He told the network he wanted the video to be viewed widely so “the entire world to know what these animals did to my daughter”.
In the 30-second clip, Adriana, a freshman student, is seen walking down a hallway with her boyfriend when a student suddenly starts hitting her in the face with a water bottle.
As she falls to the ground, the student continues to punch her in the head and pull her hair. Cheers can be heard coming from other students.
After about 30 seconds, two school workers intervene. She was treated by the school nurse for the injuries.
As she falls to the ground, the student continues to punch her in the head and pull her hair. Cheers can be heard coming from other students.
Four female students have been criminally charged over the attack on Adriana – one for aggravated assault, two for conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, and the fourth for harassment.
If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, The Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
