Superintendent resigns after school hallway attack on N.J. girl who died by suicide days later

The superintendent of the New Jersey school district where 14-year-old Adriana Kuch was attacked by students in a hallway and died by suicide days later has resigned.

Adriana was found dead in her Bayville home two days after the Feb. 1 attack at a high school. The attack was recorded, and the four students involved in the assault were suspended and charged, officials said.

The Central Regional School District announced Saturday that it had accepted the resignation of Superintendent Triantafillos Parlapanides.

“The Central Regional family continues to mourn the loss of one of our children,” read the statement, which was posted on the district’s website. “The Central Regional School District is evaluating all current and past allegations of bullying.”

The district did not clarify why Parlapanides resigned or respond to requests for comment.

Parlapanides had suggested in interviews with news outlets, including the Daily Mail, that Adriana used drugs and that her father had refused the district’s offers to help.

In an interview with the New York Post, Adriana’s father, Michael Kuch, accused Parlapanides of “blaming” his daughter and said drug counseling had not been offered to her. The father added that his daughter had experimented with a marijuana vape pen, but no other drugs.

NBC News reached out to Michael Kuch Sunday. On Saturday, he reposted the district’s statement regarding Parlapanides’ resignation to his Facebook writing: “I will let this speak for itself.”

Parlapanides resigned during an emergency zoom meeting on Saturday to discuss his comments, according to NBC New York.

The resignation came a day after funeral services were held for the teenager.

The attack on Kuch at Central Regional High School garnered national attention after video of it was posted online.

Of the four students alleged to have participated in the attack, one was charged with aggravated assault, another with harassment and two others with conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said in a statement Friday.

Their names have not been released. NBC News does not usually name minors charged with crimes, even those charged as adults.

“Each juvenile and their guardian was served with a copy of their complaint and are released pending future court appearances,” Billhimer said.

Michael Kuch said on Facebook and told NBC New York that several students attacked his daughter while she was walking with her boyfriend in the hallway.

He wrote on Facebook that a video of the fight was posted online and that Adriana, a freshman, had been tagged in it. He said he believes it was posted to “make fun of her online.”

Kuch expressed outrage over the school’s handling of the incident, telling NBC New York that police were never called even though Adriana blacked out and had bruises on her body.

Before he stepped down as superintendent, Parlapanides said Friday that police were notified and that “teachers and safety officers intervened” in the fight. He declined to provide further details about the involved students or the fight.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.