What we know now about bullying, harassment and violence at Central Regional High School

BERKELEY — The Central Regional School District will host its first Board of Education meeting Thursday since a student died by suicide, days after being attacked in the district's high school.

The student's father said his daughter was subjected to online tormenting following the attack, which he believes led to her death on Feb 3. Since then, the school community has been reeling with grief and seething in anger. Many have come forward with their own stories of violence and harassment and more are demanding change in the district. State data shows a potentially more widespread problem.

Here's what we know about what's happening.

How did this start?

A 14 year-old student was attacked in the halls of Central Regional High School on Feb. 1. The attack was filmed and later spread on social media. The student's father said she suffered repeated online tormenting on social media following the attack. She was found dead on Feb. 3.

“She took her life because she was so unbelievably embarrassed and they kept coming to her and attacking her (online),” the father of nine said about his youngest daughter. “On TikTok, Snapchat and sending her direct messages.”

'It's a disaster':Bullying was on the rise at Central Regional before student's death

The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that it has opened an investigation into the case and that four students have been charged in connection with the initial attack on the deceased student.

One juvenile was charged with aggravated assault, while two were charged with conspiracy to commit aggravated assault and one was charged with harassment, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer.

What was the community response?

Students staged a walkout Feb. 6 after the student's death to protest what they called a pattern of bullying in the high school and a lack of action to address it on the part of the administration.

Protests and student walkouts have occurred nearly every day outside Central Regional High School since the student's death. On Friday, Berkeley Township Councilman James Byrnes joined a call for change outside the school.

“It is just getting out of control,” said Berkeley Township Councilman James Byrnes, who is also a former school board member. “My kids went to this school, my grandkids go to this school and there are problems to be solved. It is the climate, it is the way the whole thing has been handled.”

Students walk out:Student death prompts walkout at Central Regional HS, claims of widespread bullying

Parents and students have come forward with more stories of violence and bullying. The Asbury Park Press has obtained and reviewed multiple videos of violence that allegedly took place at the high school.

“It is sad and it is sad for all of the kids,” said Brianna O’Brien, a former Central Regional High student who left in 2020 after she says she was attacked several times. She is currently a junior at Toms River South High School.

What about the school district?

Central Regional School District Superintendent Triantafillos Parlapanides resigned Feb. 11, a day after divulging personal details about the deceased student's home life to British news publication The Daily Mail.

Douglas Corbett, who previously served as principal at the high school and assistant district superintendent, was named acting superintendent.

Since then, the school district has repeatedly declined requests for comment. It appears to have retained the services of a public relations firm, Princeton Strategic Communications.

On Wednesday, the school district announced it was moving its 7 p.m. Thursday Board of Education meeting to the high school auditorium to accommodate a larger crowd.

The school district issued a note to parents on Feb. 5, which offered “great sadness” at the “tragic passing” of a district student, but did not name her.

More:Central Regional superintendent resigns following comments over student death

It also provided information on available counseling and crisis professionals, stating “please know that you are never alone in the world and there is always support during bad times to help change things for the better.”

Berkeley Township Mayor Carmen F. Amato, Jr. issued a statement earlier this week that said there “is obviously a great deal of rightful anguish and emotion with (the student’s) passing.”

He later added, “zero-tolerance policies will be implemented, and programs will be launched immediately to address these challenges.”

No specific policies or new initiatives have been presented.

Is this a pattern?

State school performance data shows that bullying, violence and discipline issues have been common at Central Regional schools for several years.

From 2017 to 2020, data shows at least 59 incidents were reported to local police, 25 of which were directly related to violence, weapons or bullying. 

In 2018-2019 alone, the district completed 62 harassment, intimidation and bullying investigations. The allegations of discrimination spanned from race to religion to sexual orientation, state data shows.

Central Regional Schools also suspended at least 10 percent of its students each year from 2016 to 2019. Statewide, less than 3 percent of students were suspended in the same span.

While no data has been released beyond 2020, former superintendent Parlapanides said the 2021-2022 school year was far worse.

"It's a disaster,” Parlapanides said about student mistreatment of each other last week prior to his resignation. “Last year was the worst year in my 28 years in education."

Joe Strupp is an award-winning journalist with 30 years’ experience who covers education and several local communities for APP.com and the Asbury Park Press. He is also the author of three books, including Killing Journalism on the state of the news media, and an adjunct media professor at Rutgers University and Fairleigh Dickinson University. Reach him at jstrupp@gannettnj.com and at 732-413-3840. Follow him on Twitter at @joestrupp

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: What we know now about bullying at Central Regional High School