Family of 12-year-old who took her own life after alleged cyber bullying is suing school district

Administrators are being accused of being negligent

The family of a 12-year-old girl who took her own life after she was allegedly cyber-bullied is suing her school district.

Dianne Grossman claims administrators in New Jersey were negligent and failed to prevent the abuse of her daughter Mallory, which she believes ultimately led to her daughter’s death.

Her pleas with one of the alleged bully’s parents were branded a “big joke” and dismissed, she said.

“I can confidently say I spoke to one of the parents the night before Mallory – before this,” Mr Grossman told NBC News. “And I can tell you that the mother dismissed it, said it was just a big joke, and that I really shouldn’t worry about it,” .

Mallory’s parents are now suing the Rockaway Township School District and are also considering legal action against the parents of the students they feel are responsible.

Ms Grossman said Mallory had been bullied for months. She had shown social media posts and texts that had been sent to her to school officials, she said.

In a separate interview with The Record, she added: “She talked about how horrible it was to be at school. It would be dirty looks, harassment and name-calling. The cold shoulder, the exclusion, I think played an important role.”

Bruce Nagel, the famliy’s attorney, described cyber bullying as an “epidemic”.

“Her life tragically ended when her own classmates used this cellphone to drive her into this tragedy,” Mr Nagel said. “Cyber bullying is an epidemic that’s going on in every town, in every city across the land. We must bring light to what’s going on, and we must stop it.”

The Independent has approached the Rockaway Township School District for comment, but none had arrived at the time of publication.