in an emotional board meeting last night that seemed to never end students and parents lined up one by one to detail the horrors and bullying they've experienced in their Central Regional High School in Ocean County the same school where earlier this month 14 year old Adriana kuch was attacked and brutally beaten by classmates who later posted the video online coach took her own life following the incident her family has sued the district and kuch's attackers are now facing criminal charges senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan attended the school board meeting last night to hear the emotional testimony from students and family members and to see whether the district would take any accountability for what some in the community say has been a culture of harassment and bullying I tried so hard to just talk did you just drive if you guys to listen to me just for everybody here to try and listen to an outpouring of hurt and anger finally ripped the cover off a bullying crisis at Central Regional High School as speakers many of them students told raw personal stories of getting tormented over and over again senior Danielle Ledesma accused the school board of ignoring their pain the students but the students do not feel protected I was in the darkest queen of my life and you completely abandoned me student Echo McNichols described her Terror at threats from bullies in class they told me that I was ugly and fat that I should kill myself um they sent us pictures of guns and told us that they knew where we lived and they were going to send people to her house to come rape us and this whole solution was to tell me to switch classes to turn my schedule upside down in the middle of the year to get away from these kids or to just suck it up we're scared to walk in the hallways of central we're terrified we're gonna get picked on and bullied and jumped because that's all that's been happening these last few weeks the board meeting began with a moment of silence for 14 year old Adriana Kuch who committed suicide February 3rd after classmates here assaulted her then posted a video of the attack on social media her death focused a national Spotlight on the district and galvanized the school Community to demand change it shouldn't take child taking their own life for us to change it should never get to that point a child should not have those thoughts a child should be able to enter a school and feel safe speaker after speaker described an entrenched culture of violence in the district where verbal and physical assaults and social media shaming usually ended in suspension that often unfairly included victims and did little to stop the pattern of abuse I had pictures taken of me I had them post on Instagram Snapchat every single social media platform I've had people try to jump me because I'm gay in this school and I've been suicidal and I have self-harmed in the past because of things that have happened to me in the school I've just been told to ignore it to be the bigger person and walk away the crowd bristling with pent-up Fury vented their frustration for hours at the grim-faced board parents who've tried to get help for Bully teens to no avail said they're deeply alarmed because you monsters are going to be who's protecting her and I'm scared you guys should all resign okay every single one of you my daughter after being called the n-word a couple of times after being harassed here from that standpoint I gotta admit to you all it bothers me and why why is that happening the thing I've been hearing all night long and I totally agree we have to do better bullying has no place in our school the board promised change but earlier at a news conference Acting Superintendent Doug Corbett said he hadn't observed a climate of violence in school here I see a lot of good kids doing a lot of good things there is not a culture of violence to do these things occur obviously we know that throughout the country in every school we work everything in our power to prevent that Corbett outlined nine prospective initiatives to defuse tensions they include creating a steering committee with parents to update the district's bullying policy retaining an outside expert to analyze bullying policy and actions scheduling a student assembly to discuss the problem and establishing a toll-free hotline for students who feel threatened but some parents tonight want bigger changes it's really kind of on us we're the ones that elected you guys right we're not going to be Fooled Again guarantee you that the board listened for hours they've outlined an action plan but speakers made it very clear that there are a lot of patience with the board and they don't have a lot of confidence left in it either in Bayville I'm Brenda Flanagan NJ Spotlight news [Music]