NJ Superintendent Still Being Paid After Saying He Quit Over Suicide Scandal

BERKELEY — Despite announcing his resignation after inflammatory remarks about a student who took her own life, the controversial superintendent of an Ocean County high school remains on the payroll, according to a report.

Bayville resident Adriana Kuch took her own life on Feb. 3, shortly after she was involved in an in-school assault that was videoed and shared to social media.

Triantafillos Parlapanides resigned as Central Regional Schools Superintendent on Feb. 11, the school board previously announced.

Asbury Park Press reported that as of Friday, the Central Regional School District had not officially accepted Parlapanides’ resignation and confirmed he was still being paid his $195,343 salary.

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Requests for a response to the Central Regional School Board of Education and the business administrator were not immediately answered on Tuesday.

Parlapanides sparked a firestorm of criticism and anger after the Daily Mail published his responses to questions about the teen fight and subsequent suicide, in which he said the teen had a troubled history and downplayed potential accusations of bullying.

Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer has confirmed that four juveniles were facing charges — aggravated assault, conspiracy to commit aggravated assault and harassment.

All four were released to their families, pending future court appearances.

The nine-member school board also said in a joint statement that they would take a closer look at reports of bullying.

Acting Superintendent vows Central Regional will work to  “learn from this tragedy"

A packed house of parents, students and community members turned out to the regularly scheduled board meeting on Feb. 16, during which concerns were repeatedly voiced about the school having a pattern of mishandling bullying situations.

On Feb. 17, Acting Schools Superintendent Douglas Corbett wrote an open letter to the community, thanking those who attended the meeting and outlining what he said were initiatives as the district tried to “learn from this tragedy.”

“Looking ahead, I will share more plans to improve the District’s programs to identify, prevent and respond to bullying cases, and to support students' emotional and social well-being,” Corbett said.

Parlapanides talked on camera about school security four years ago, for Jersey Matters as shared to YouTube.