Adriana Kuch: School chief says suicide of bullied girl, 14, stemmed from dad's affair, drug use after mom's death
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers' discretion advised. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
BERKELEY, NEW JERSEY: In a shocking twist to Adriana Kuch's death, Triantafillos Parlapanides, the New Jersey school chief blamed the bullied girl's drug use and her father's affair that led to her suicide. However, the victim's father Michael Kuch said that she decided to kill herself after she felt "embarrassed" about the video of the attack that surfaced on Snapchat and TikTok.
Adrianna died by suicide on Friday, February 3, two days after she was viciously attacked by her bullies as she walked with her boyfriend in the school hallway. Michael also revealed that one of the bullies sent his daughter a direct message to taunt her about the video of the attack. He then explained that the girl made fun of Adrianna saying that she got her "a** whooped" and also for "dripping" blood.
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In a response to the Daily Mail's question on the services provided to the bullied teen before she killed herself, the district superintendent Triantafillos Parlapanides said she was offered to counsel for drugs before shifting the blame of Adrianna's death on her and Michael's affair.
The chief wrote in an email to Daily Mail that “Her father was having an affair at the end of her 6th grade. Her father married the woman he had an affair with and moved her into the house.” He said, “Her grades and choices declined in 7th and 8th grade. We offered her drug rehab and mental services on five occasions but the father refused every time.”
Parlapanides went on digging into the past of Kuch's family. He claimed that Adrianna's birth mom's death took place after Michael's alleged affair. The administrator said, “We tried helping her several times but her mother’s suicide was a major reason she started making poor choices.”
Michael Kuch says Parlapanides' 'pretty much blaming her'
Defending the Central Regional High School where the bullying took place, the superintendent responded to a parent who angrily stated that following the horrifying attack, he would never send his children to school. Parlapanides wrote on Facebook that “There are two sides to every story and when was the last time you were at Central."
The bullied girl's grieving father denied the administration's claim of drug counseling offered to Adrianna and said that like many other teenagers of her age, she had only experimented with a weed vape. Talking to the New York Post, Michael furiously said, “He’s pretty much blaming her. “My daughter was attacked in your school and you did nothing. And now you want to blame this on everyone else except yourself because you failed and you suck at your job." He said, “You should probably resign and maybe even become a greeter at Walmart. I don’t give a s***.”
Michael Kuch denies Parlapanides' accusations of wife's suicide
Michael told the news outlet that the school chief's claim of inner turmoil from the death of the bullied girl's mother was not related to Adrianna's suicide. He said, “Adrianna’s mother’s passing seven years ago has nothing to do with why she has passed now. One thing has nothing to do with the other.” Michael revealed that her birth mom died in 2015 after battling addiction.
He then explained the meeting he had with Parlapanides on Monday, February 6, where the school chief refused to discuss the incidents behind the tragic death of Adrianna but instead talked about Ethan, his son's integration back to the Berkeley Township school. He said, “I said, ‘I’m not f****** here to talk about my son Ethan. My daughter is dead. Why the f*** would I talk about him right now?"
Michael slammed the school's irresponsibility in failing to handle the bullying situation and criticized them for not informing the police after his daughter was brutally attacked. In response to the criticism, Parlapanides said if the school officials reported to the police, the bullies would have suffered a "double whammy" as they were already suspended and claimed it was against the school's policy to inform the police.