Students, parents beg school district for help after teen's suicide over bullying
‘Outnumbered’ hosts discuss how a New Jersey school failed to act against bullying before a teenage girl committed suicide.
This story may contain details that are disturbing. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.
After a young New Jersey student took her own life two weeks ago, parents and students are expressing outrage at the Central Regional School District in New Jersey for their response to concerns over bullying.
"These kids are hurting. They are hurting. My daughter comes home and she is also scared. And she doesn't want to go to school," one mother shared during a school board meeting Thursday.
Another mother shared she has a son, "who came into this district happy, healthy" and is now on medication and under the care of psychiatrists due to his experiences with bullies.
New Jersey parents in Bayville express their outrage over bullying in a local high school where a teenage girl committed suicide. (Fox News)
Growing rage has mounted since 14-year-old Adriana Kuch took her own life earlier this month after suffering months of bullying culminating in a video circulating of girls viciously beating her up in the high school's hallway.
"Outnumbered" co-hosts responded to the heartwrenching pleas from parents and students for the school district to take action.
"I can't imagine feeling so unheard and so unseen. These poor children. I can't imagine what their parents feel," co-host Emily Compagno said.
Adriana Kuch,14, was bullied in Central Regional High School in New Jersey and died of suicide. (Adriana Kuch's family)
FOX Business' Dagen McDowell defended parents' fighting back against the school district saying, "turn that sadness into rage. Because these people at this in this school district did nothing."
Adriana Kuch, a student at Central Regional High School, was found dead on Feb. 3 at her home two days after the shocking video surfaced.
The disturbing video shows Adriana and her boyfriend walking down the hallway of the local public high school when a student walks up and starts walloping her in the face with a water bottle. Adriana falls to the ground, where she is repeatedly kicked and punched by a group of students. Cheering is heard from the student who took the shocking video.
About 30 seconds into the attack, two school workers interrupted the ambush.
Despite reaching out to school faculty, Michael shared that, "no action was taken by anyone," following the incident. Just two days later, family members found Adriana deceased in her New Jersey home.
NEW JERSEY SUPERINTENDENT RESIGNS AMID ADRIANA KUCH SUICIDE, VICIOUS HALLWAY ATTACK
FOX Business host Kennedy also blasted the "screwed up" system that failed to step in against bullying and failed to protect children.
"It should not have to come to that point," she said. "Schools are paralyzed by choice and something has to change, and it has to start now."
"Why don't these schools stop it?" McDowell said. "And it's not one bully. It's groups of them. It's groups of them beating up young people and everyone sees it, and it's all over the Internet."
Fox News medical contributor Dr. Marc Siegel noted that several factors including social media and the pandemic have contributed to bullying, depression and suicide rates across the country.
"It's girls twice as much as boys," Dr. Siegel said. "56% of girls, according to CDC over the past year, expressed deep sadness. One out of three threatened suicide. And bullying has a lot to do with this."
"Social media is fanning it," he added. "The pandemic created this or made this a lot worse, this mess."
Kennedy argued that the issue is also not unique to New Jersey's Central Regional School District, but exists nationwide.
"It's social media, but it's also the pandemic. Kids forgot how to treat each other. Schools have abdicated their responsibility to discipline students who harm other kids. And children are so wounded from the pandemic and in such mental peril and despair. And they got $190 billion from the federal government, and they have not provided adequate resources," she said.
"And shame on every school district that is creating victims like this."
Dr. Siegel called for better communication between parents and schools as a means to combat bullying.
Kennedy added that schools should start taking more decisive action in removing kids who bully or forcing harsher consequences.
"They also have to remove kids like that from schools. They don't do that. They don't suspend students. They don't expel them. They keep them in these classrooms and they continue to be problems and they continue to bully. I mean, the whole system is completely screwed up, especially in public schools."
As parents and students in New Jersey fight for accountability and action from the Central Regional School Board, the superintendent at the time of Kuch's passing has resigned. Dr. Douglas Corbett has been appointed as the acting superintendent.
Adriana Kuch's wake will be held Friday.
Fox News' Sarah Rumpf contributed to this report.
