Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester) issued the following statement on the tragic death of Central Regional High School student Adriana Kuch and the ongoing concerns for student safety:

            “Words are inadequate to convey the sorrow my wife Marie and I share over the tragic death of Adriana Olivia Kuch just days after a group of students violently attacked her at Central Regional High School and shared the video of the horrific assault online.

            There must be absolutely zero tolerance for bullying, harassment and violence in our schools and in our community. Our words and deeds must be bold and clear to stop these hateful acts.

            When our children are organizing walkouts or demonstrations to show that they do not feel safe at school, we know that something is terribly wrong and needs to be remedied immediately.

            I have already spoken with Berkeley Mayor Carmen Amato and Ocean County Sheriff Mike Mastronardy and Prosecutor Bradley Bilheimer. We must all work to ensure meaningful, proactive measures are taken to keep our children safe at school and protect all students from violence.

            What happened at Central Regional High School must never happen again—there is no higher priority for us right now than school safety.”

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