On February 1st, four students at Central Regional High School in Berkeley Township, New Jersey, brutally attacked 14-year-old Adriana Kuch in the hallway. Adriana was walking down the hallway when she was suddenly hit in the face with water by one of the attackers. Adriana collapsed and was reportedly kicked and dragged down the hallway until she blacked out. One of the attackers yelled, "that's what you get you stupid b*tch".

After school, one of the girls who recorded the assault sent her a text mocking her for "dripping blood" and getting her "a*s whooped". A few hours after that text, Adriana's family found her dead in her closet.

The four teenagers have been charged, one with aggravated assault, another with harassment, and two others with conspiracy to commit aggravated assault. Adriana's father Michael said he believes brutal bullying fueled her suicide, which has continued even after her death. He said one of the assailants has recently posted disrespectful messages on Snapchat.

Parents at the school have said bullying is a huge problem. The school, however, claims Adriana was "on drugs" and made "poor choices" that led to her suicide. The superintendent, Triantafillos Parlapanides, suggested her grades had fallen after her mother committed suicide because her father had an affair. He claimed the school offered her drug rehab and mental services on 5 occasions but her father refused.

According to Adriana's father, her mother passed away in 2015 after a battle with addiction. Her father also denied that the school offered her any treatment options, and said he and his wife had sought treatment after she started vaping marijuana.

Tragic stories like this one seem to be popping up more and more frequently. A viral video just a few weeks ago showed a nine-year-old girl getting beaten by older boys on a school bus. The school and bus driver failed to do anything. Rampant bullying points to a larger issue of broken schools and a broken culture.

No 14-year-old girl should ever feel so hopeless they take their own life. Schools have to start stepping up and protecting children instead of trying to cover their tracks. Or perhaps, homeschooling should become the new norm, if that's what it takes to keep kids safe.