A New Jersey boarding school’s leadership has admitted failure after a student committed suicide when he was falsely labeled a rapist, adding they never announced those rumors were lies.
Seventeen-year-old Jack Reid was a student at the Lawrenceville School where tuition is $76,000 per year, the New York Post reported Monday.
The young man committed suicide in late April 2022 after he fell victim to bullying over rumors that deemed him a rapist.
Under the tab Anniversary Statement posted on the school’s website Sunday, leadership said they came to an agreement with William and Elizabeth Reid, the young man’s parents:
As we seek to improve as a community, we have examined our role and take responsibility for what we could have done differently. Lawrenceville’s top priority is the physical, social, and emotional health, safety, and wellbeing of our students. We recognize that in Jack’s case, we fell tragically short of these expectations.
Jack was a victim of bullying and other forms of cruel behavior at Lawrenceville over the course of a year, including in the form of false rumors in person and online. When these behaviors were brought to the attention of the School, there were steps that the School should in hindsight have taken but did not, including the fact that the School did not make a public or private statement that it investigated and found rumors about Jack that were untrue. [Emhphasis added].
Social media users commented on the Post story, one individual writing it was sad no one had the courage to stand with the young man.
“Incredibly tragic. The ones involved should face justice,” the person said.
During Reid’s time at the school, a rumor the young man was a rapist spread all over campus. He later became president of the residential housing where he lived in 2021 and his parents claim the role escalated the rumors and bullying.
“During the holiday season, Reid and his classmates participated in a Secret Santa gift exchange, where he was gifted a rape whistle and a book about how to make friends,” the Post report said.
Another student who had been disciplined for targeting Reid with bullying was reportedly involved in spreading the rumors. The student was later expelled regarding another incident and as he prepared to leave blamed Reid for the action taken against him.
“The same night, Reid put a Bible in his gym shorts pocket and left a note directing his parents to a Google Doc that detailed his helplessness,” the Post article said.
When Reid previously spoke with campus leadership and asked them to take action against the lies being spread the school investigated the matter, according to his parents.
The investigation resulted in no evidence supporting the rumors and accusations about the young man, but the school never acknowledged this fact.
Now, the school says it will take multiple actions in the wake of the tragedy, one action being it has decided to contract with a specialist regarding school bullying.
The Post article noted that neither the teenager nor his parents were told campus leadership had cleared him of the false accusations before he died.
Reid’s obituary said he wanted to pursue a life in public service and received awards for his character and citizenship. Everyone remembered him because he had a compassionate and kind heart.
“The family of Jack Davis Reid, who will love him for eternity, asks that you honor his legacy through acts of kindness,” the obituary concluded.
When it comes to teenage suicide, adults concerned about a young person should take the issue seriously and speak with them, according to a Nemours KidsHealth article which provides resources for help.
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