After bullied suicide girl’s family sues, NJ superintendent to step down
ROCKAWAY TOWNSHIP —The school superintendent who was criticized for his handling of a bullying case that ended in the suicide of a girl announced this week that he will step down at the end of his contract in July.
Schools superintendent Greg McGann, who has served for more than two years, submitted his letter of resignation addressed to the "school community" on Dec. 7. He will finish the school year with his resignation effective July 1. A search for his replacement begins this month.
"It is time for me to seek other professional opportunities," McGann wrote. His letter did not offer a reason for his decision.
Dianne and Seth Grossman, the parents of 11-year-old Mallory Grossman, filed a lawsuit against the district and administrators at Copeland Middle last August claiming that the school did nothing after the bullying incidents came to their attention.
“We literally went up the line, starting with guidance counselors, and it fell on deaf ears,” attorney Paul Nagel said. Dianne Grossman said she was told by the principal that the district would “investigate the matter and follow procedure.”
The Grossmans claim that their daughter was bullied via text message and social media that asked "why don't you kill yourself?"
Mallory took her own life just before the start of summer vacation in June, family members have said. The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office said her death remains under investigation and has never disclosed any details.
The district has defended its actions and said that only one side of the story has been heard. The statement said that the district would not publicly discuss the case, following the advice of the Morris County Prosecutor's Office and the district's own lawyer.
“The allegation that the Rockaway Township School District ignored the Grossman family and failed to address bullying in general, is categorically false,” the district said.
Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ