Prep school admits it fell ‘tragically short’ in case of student who committed suicide after false rape accusations

Jack Reid, 17, killed himself on April 30, 2022, after being tormented by fellow students for months with unsubstantiated accusations that he was a rapist.

In a statement, Lawrenceville admitted that it "acknowledges bullying and unkind behavior, and actions taken or not taken by the School, likely contributed to Jack's death."

The school went on to note that upon learning of the false allegations, "there were steps that the School should in hindsight have taken but did not." The statement cited the fact that the school "did not make a public or private statement that it investigated and found rumors about Jack that were untrue," noting that, "there also were circumstances in which the involvement of an adult would have made a difference."

Lawrenceville explained that when the student who had previously been disciplined for bullying Jack was expelled, for an unrelated violation, he had been allowed to visit Dickinson House, where Jack lived. He and other students allegedly bullied Jack again, and that night, he took his own life. The school admitted that nobody on staff had checked on Jack to make sure he was ok.

"There is, of course, nothing that will ever make up for the tragedy of losing this promising and beloved young man," Lawrenceville stated, "but it is the hope of all of us that Jack's memory is honored."

To do so, the school, with the help of Jack's parents, conducted an investigation and came up with a series of steps it would take to ensure bullying was taken more seriously on campus.

Following the revelations, many slammed Lawrenceville, where tuition is upwards of $70,000 per year, for failing to protect its students.

"False rape accusations destroy lives," feminist Christina Hoff Sommers lamented.