Feb. 12 (UPI) — Four teenagers are facing charges and a New Jersey superintendent has resigned following an attack on a 14-year-old girl and her subsequent suicide.
The Central Regional School District announced Sunday that it has accepted the resignation of superintendent Triantafillos Parlapanides. The superintendent and school administrators came under fire after video circulated of four teen girls attacking 14-year-old Adriana Kuch in the hallway at school.
The attack took place on Feb. 1, according to NBC News. On Feb. 3, Kuch was found dead in her home.
“The Central Regional School District is evaluating all current and past allegations of bullying,” the school district said on its website. “The district has contacted the Department of Education and will undergo an independent assessment of the district’s anti-bullying policies and ensure every necessary safeguard is in place to protect our students and staff.”
The video of the attack was posted on social media with Kuch tagged on at least one platform, her father Michael Kuch said on Facebook.
It shows one student hitting Kuch in the face with a water bottle, then four students surrounding her with at least one throwing a punch while she is on the ground. She was trapped against the lockers while the group continued its assault. A person can be heard laughing during the incident off camera.
Kuch’s father said the school did not immediately contact him after the incident and that his daughter should have been sent to a hospital for her injuries, which included several bruises. He said that if the school would have reported the attack to law enforcement the video would not have circulated online, potentially avoiding the tragedy that followed.
“I want the entire world to know what these animals did to my daughter,” Michael Kuch said.
“I will not sleep until their family has to watch them stand in front of a judge and plead guilty.”
Four juveniles have been charged for the attack against Kuch, CBS News reports. One is charged with aggravated assault, one with harassment and two with conspiracy to commit aggravated assault.
Before Parlapanides’ resignation he had told several media outlets including the Daily Mail that Kuch was using drugs and the school district offered help. Kuch’s father said she had tried marijuana but no other drugs and the school had never offered assistance.
Michael Kuch told the New York Post that the former superintendent was trying to blame his daughter and himself for her death. The Daily Mail alleges Parlapanides sent the outlet emails discussing an affair Kuch had when his daughter was 7 years old.
Kuch’s funeral was held on Friday.
