Featured Image Credit: Kuch Family
Topics: News, US News, School, Mental Health
Niamh Shackleton
Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing
A year on from Adriana Kuch's untimely death, her parents are suing her high school.
Adriana tragically took her own life in February 2023 following an altercation at her school.
The 14-year-old attended Bayville-based school Central Regional High School and was reportedly beaten up by a group of four students in the days running up to her suicide.
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The assault was filmed by fellow students and widely shared online.
The four students were later charged; one with aggravated assault, two with conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, and a fourth with harassment.
The girls' names haven't been released, but they were reported to have been suspended by the school after the incident involving Adriana.
Following her passing, Adriana's father, Michael Kuch criticised the way his daughter's school handled the situation.
Now, as the family approach the year anniversary of Adriana's passing, her parents have filed a suit against Central Regional High School, where it accuses the institution of having a 'culture and climate of harassment, intimidation, and bullying' and failing to protect the teen.
According to the family, Adriana took her own life as 'a result of the emotional distress, humiliation, and embarrassment she experienced'.
As per CNN, the civil complaint also says that the school 'had a duty to supervise, monitor, and train staff regarding harassment, intimidation, and bullying, and was responsible for developing, implementing, and disseminating anti-harassment, intimidation, and bullying policies and programs consistent with the New Jersey Anti-Bullying Statute'.
It adds that the defendants 'knew or should have known that the physical assaults and attacks within their schools, specifically within Central Regional High School, were being recorded and posted to various social media sites by other students, contrary to School Board policy'.
It names Central Regional High School Principal Irene Marousis, Assistant Principals Darryl Heale and Angelo Mazzuca, Anti-Bullying Coordinator Thomas Gallahue and Anti-Bullying Specialist Jennifer Mullins.
The Kuch family attorney William Krais said of the suit: "It is the defendants' job to provide a safe and secure environment for the students at Central Regional High School."
The lawsuit requests compensatory and punitive damages but does not specify the amounts.
The suit is reported to have been filed on Friday (January 26) but when approached by UNILAD, Central Regional School District superintendent Michelle CarneyRay-Yoder said it has not been served with a copy of the Complaint and as such, has not yet had an opportunity to review it so will not be commenting at this time.
"We cannot comment at this time," CarneyRay-Yoder said. "Further, since this would be a matter involving litigation, the Board will be limited in what it can comment on publicly."
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 to reach a 24-hour crisis center or you can webchat at 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.