The parents of the 17-year-old boy who took his own life last year as a result of relentless bullying at a prestigious New Jersey boarding school said the last thing he told them was that he was “doing better” and loved them.
Elizabeth and Bill Reid spoke with “Good Morning America” about their late son Jack on Tuesday, days after Lawrenceville School acknowledged it “fell tragically short” in protecting their child.
“We were well aware of what was going on and we were encouraging him. He advocated for himself. He talked to the school. He talked to his friends. We were meant to see him the next morning and the last words we spoke to him about were, ‘Dad, I’m doing better. I love you,'” his father recalled.
Lawrenceville officials were aware of the merciless bullying and “cruel behavior” toward Jack before his death on April 30, 2022, and said in a statement Sunday that “there were steps that the school should have taken in hindsight and did not.”
The statement was part of an agreed-upon settlement between the boarding school and Jack’s parents.
Despite being in constant contact with her son before his death, his mother — who is a clinical psychologist — said she saw no signs that the situation would take such a heartbreaking turn.
“Everyone in this room probably knows someone that was bullied as a child, and you do suffer the scars of that,” Elizabeth told GMA. “What we’ve realized from our situation is that it can lead to death. This is a very serious issue and the...
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