The ex-superintendent, who tried to shift the blame for the suicide of 14-year-old bully victim Adriana Kuch, lectured teachers about tackling violence in schools.
In a 2018 television interview with Jersey Matters about the Parkland school shooting, Triantafillos Parlapanides, the former chief of the New Jersey Central Regional School District, noted that everyone has a duty to heed warning signs to end school violence.
He also claimed that social media is a great tool for finding perpetrators of violence or threats, noting his district’s policy of working with police to act quickly when a disruptive video is reported.
But that didn’t happen as video went viral of four teenage girls beating Adriana at Central Regional High School, with the victim taking her own life two days later.
Parlapandines resigned last week amid backlash after he suggested Adriana killed herself over her alleged drug abuse and her mother’s suicide.
Triantafillos Parlapanides, who resigned as superintendent of the New Jersey Central Regional School District, said during a 2018 interview that it’s everyone’s duty to look out for warning signs of violence in schools (above).
However, the ex-superintendent is now accused of not doing the right thing after 14-year-old Adriana Kuch (above) was beaten and humiliated by a group of four girls at her high school
In the 2018 video, Parlapanides claimed it’s easy to avoid tragedy at school as long as everyone stays active and vigilant.
“I think it starts with the parents, the students, the teachers, the administration, the police all working together to make sure everyone is communicating,” he confidently noted.
“Like I said, a lot of these kids are going to show signs. We have to be careful not to miss the signs.”
He added that the signs are easy to find these days as everything is posted on social media.
“The one good thing about all kids these days is that they put everything on Instagram and Snapchat.”
He also boasted that his district has an agreement with the local police department to “notify them immediately” if violence or threats are reported.
However, police were not notified after Adriana was beaten by a group of teenage girls on February 1, with the humiliating video posted online and the agony continued until the victim killed herself in her closet two days later.
Parlapanides initially shifted the blame away from the school, suggesting that Adriana’s suicide was caused by her alleged drug use and her mother’s suicide, which he says was fueled by an affair allegedly had by Kuch’s father, an army veteran.
After a backlash, the superintendent resigned from grace, but the district said during a board meeting Thursday that he remained on the payroll with his $195,343 salary.
District officials said they have not yet taken action against his resignation, even though he has named Assistant Superintendent Douglas Corbett as the district’s interim leader.
The district declined to comment on Parlapanides’ current role in the district.
Under the terms of the district contract, the superintendent may not be fired or his salary reduced unless charged with a criminal offense, found to be fraudulent, or unless he and the board mutually accept his removal.
The district confirmed Parlapanides remains on the payroll with his salary of $195,343 but declined to comment on his current role
The former superintendent has been slammed after he suggested Adriana (pictured) kill herself over alleged drug abuse and her mother’s suicide
Adriana’s injured legs after the attack. Her father said she was mostly “humiliated” by the video, which made her feel like she was attacked “twice”.
Michael Kuch, Adriana’s father, previously told how his wife had battled addiction and tragically died in 2015 when Adriana was just seven years old.
He dismissed Parlapanides’ claims that his daughter had been offered “drug counseling”, instead explaining that he and his wife were seeking help for her because she had smoked marijuana with a vape – like many children at school.
“I don’t know how to react to this insane distraction,” Michael replied to the superintendent’s emails.
“This guy is a piece of shit,” he added.
Adriana’s father believes the school abandoned his daughter because she didn’t call the police to the bullies after the attack.
Adriana killed herself after seeing her taunts on social media and after one of the girls sent her a direct message laughing about it.
‘I can’t tell you how angry I am at the school and the police… If these videos hadn’t been posted, these girls would have ended up with a one-day suspension or no problems at all,’ he said.
The four girls were officially charged with beating. One was charged with aggravated assault, another with harassment, and the other two with conspiracy to commit aggravated assault.
According to her father, Adriana was “slapped in the face three times with a water bottle” and “passed out.” He then had to take his daughter, who was covered in blood, to the police station to file a complaint because the school refused
Michael Kuch (above) slammed superintendents over claims the grieving father and Army veteran had an affair that led to his wife’s suicide in 2015
Adriana’s death has sparked outrage across the country and further investigated bullying, as a number of videos of students being attacked on the east coast have been shared online in recent weeks.
One such attack was recorded Monday at Cosgrove Middle School in Spencerport, near Rochester, New York, with video showing the moment a bully slammed a boy half his size to the ground.
The 15-year-old attacker was charged with third-degree assault after the attack, while the school also removed him for the rest of the year.
However, the accused bully has since spoken out as he claims his suspension was racially motivated, but other students warned he has a history of assaulting smaller students in vicious attacks.
Footage of the attack shows the tall ninth grade student first confronting his victim, who was half his height
In another horrifying incident of bullying on the East Coast, a Virginia mother shared footage online showing the moment her 12-year-old son was strangled to death by an older girl on a school bus.
Mom Taylor Brock said even though the girl had a 60-pound weight advantage over her son, the bully brutally punched her son while grabbing his mouth.
Brock has joined numerous others in condemning the recent spate of bullying.
She said that although the girl was told to go down a different hallway, after a period she was suspended over the incident, her son still sees her and even has to share his lunch break with her.