What to Know
- Adriana Kuch was a 14-year-old freshman at Central Regional High School in Bayville, New Jersey. She took her own life on Feb. 3, two days after humiliating footage of an in-school hallway attack by a number of other students was posted on social media
- The girl's father blasted the school administration over its bullying policy and handling of her case; hundreds have protested the response in the days since she died. The district superintendent resigned, students staged day-long walkouts and now more bullying claims are emerging
- If you or someone you know needs help, please contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling 988, call the National Suicide Prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting ‘Home’ to 741741 anytime
Hundreds are expected to flood a New Jersey high school auditorium Thursday night for a Board of Education meeting that many hope will be a springboard for improved communication, compassion and coordination around school anti-bullying efforts after a 14-year-old freshman died by suicide two days after she was humiliated on social media.
Central Regional High School in Bayville moved its regular monthly 7 p.m. meeting to the auditorium because of anticipated high turnout following the death of Adriana Kuch on Friday, Feb. 3. Family members found her body.
Just 48 hours earlier, video showing a brutal hallway attack on her by other students surfaced online and quickly circulated throughout the school community. Kuch's father, who has loudly vocalized his frustrations with how the school handled his daughter's case, says that footage, a mere 50-second clip, drove her to suicide.
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Adriana Kuch's death has sparked a domino effect of sorts as the community -- and now much of America -- reels. News 4 has obtained the footage (below). WARNING: Some may find it disturbing.
In the first few days after the 14-year-old took her own life, students engaged in a day-long walkout to protest their administration -- and many of their parents were there to support them. Four students allegedly involved in the attack were suspended indefinitely, then criminally charged. The school district superintendent resigned amid the fallout.
A day ago, more than a dozen bikers added their support to the anti-bullying campaign at Central Regional High School, honking their horns as they passed protestors chanting, "She matters!"
Thursday's board meeting agenda (see it in full, along with more details below or right here) includes naming an acting superintendent. That'll be Douglas Corbett and the change should take effect immediately.
It will also include a moment of silence for Adriana Kuch and an opportunity for public comment, which has already included new allegations of bullying at Central Regional High School.
One mother claims her son was beaten so badly four years ago when he was a student there that he suffered brain damage and broken bones. Her son was transferred but still suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, she says.
More videos have surfaced of other bullying incidents at the high school. A video from 2022 shows a girl, with her arm in a sling because of a shoulder injury during a wrestling match, getting attacked. That student's mother said she had to send her daughter to an out-of-district school after her attackers were suspended for just 10 days.
In another attack from the same year, the victim also had to be transferred out.
At least some of those parents are expected to attend Thursday night's meeting, where they plan to demand enhanced accountability measures on bullying and other fronts, as well as possible changes to school bullying reporting policy.
Some, including others who say they were victims, say it's too urgent to delay.
Christina Sarni, for example, says she was bullied over a hearing impediment that affects her speech when she was in school. She didn't say which one she attended when the cruelty happened, but she did note in the starkest terms, "If I grew up in this school today, I would have been Adriana. I would have been another number in the book."
If you or someone you know needs help, please contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling 988, call the National Suicide Prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting ‘Home’ to 741741 anytime.
