Who is Danielle Ledesma? Adriana Kuch's schoolmate says students 'don't feel protected' even after 14-year-old's tragic death
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
BERKELEY, NEW JERSEY: Several students and parents have opened up about the culture of bullying at the New Jersey school district where 14-year-old Adriana Kuch was attacked before she died by suicide days later.
The Central Regional School District's Board of Education and administration came under fire on February 16 from parents, students, alumni, and community members following the freshman's suicide, which attracted national attention and prompted others to come forward with accounts of bullying and violence.
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Who is Danielle Ledesma?
Danielle Ledesma was one of the students who shared their experiences in the aftermath. Ledesma recalled, “I am angry and I am upset with every single one of you guys. You’re here to protect the students, but the students don’t feel protected. I am going home scared and I am going home feeling threatened by so many people here.”
Ledesma, 17, was a senior in the school where the 14-year-old Adriana Kuch went, according to NBC News. Despite not knowing Adriana personally, Ledesma said she was devastated to hear about her death. “When I found out that someone from this school thought about that and acted upon it, it made me realize how much students think the same thing. If everybody who had been bullied acted upon their thoughts, there would not be anybody in Bayville. Everybody would be gone,” she remarked to NBC News.
Investigation timeline
Adriana Kuch, 14, committed suicide on February 3 after a video went viral showing her being attacked by girls in the school hallway. Kuch was attacked on February 1 as she and her boyfriend were going down a hallway, and two days later, her body was discovered at her home. The school has been under a barrage of criticism ever since.
The institution is also the subject of a separate complaint that accuses it of acting negligently after another student was allegedly abused on campus. In the Adriana attack that was seen on camera, four students have been charged. Meanwhile, Triantafillos Parlapanides, the former superintendent, resigned after it was claimed that he sent emails to journalists at a news outlet disclosing private information about Adriana's family and medical history, according to NPR.
However, Parlapanides, who earned $190,000 annually as superintendent, was still being paid by the district, according to Daily Mail. In light of the national conversation Adriana's suicide has created about cruelty at schools, Governor Phil Murphy hinted on Tuesday, February 15, that a state-level probe into bullying might follow.
This came after the Central Regional School District came under fire for indicating that they would be willing to provide counseling in response to Adriana Kuch's unexpected death. CRSD wrote on Twitter that it “has mobilized the district's Crisis Team in response to the sudden loss of a student. Counselors are available in both the high school and middle school throughout the day to assist students in need of assistance.”