Mother Of Mallory Grossman Will Speak To Secaucus Kids, Parents

SECAUCUS, NJ — Dianne Grossman, the mother of the late Mallory Grossman, will speak to Secaucus school students and their parents this February, according to Christine Candela, the principal of Secaucus Middle School.

Mallory was a 12-year-old, sixth grade student in Rockaway Township. She was a gymnast and a cheerleader who loved the outdoors and loved to make handmade jewelry, according to her obituary. However, on June 14, 2017, she took her own life following what her parents said was horrific bullying by four other girls.

Since her death, the Grossmans have become anti-bullying advocates, launching the advocacy group Mallory's Army. Mallory's mother, Dianne, travels the state and region conducting workshops and giving speeches to share her daughter's story. She also calls for anti-bullying prevention efforts and for the state of New Jersey to enact tougher anti-bullying laws. Mallory's Army was previously honored in the Senate with a resolution recognizing their efforts.

Grossman will speak in Secaucus on Feb. 11 at the Performing Arts Center in Secaucus Middle/High school. She will talk from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. and there is an opportunity to meet her beforehand. According to Candela, here is an overview of what she will be addressing in her presentation:

• A presentation explaining intention for good, gone bad
• A message for teachers
• Mallory's life at school and how being excluded and bullied hurt her
• Mallory's mantra of living a bracelet-KIND of life and what that means

Due to the sensitive nature of Mallory's story, the presentation is ideal for fourth graders through high school kids, parents and school administrators, said Candela. It is not a program for young children, but is open to the public if they would like to attend. It is free to attend.

"Mallory does not represent a child that is awkward or different. She represents all of our children," said her mother in previous public talks she's given about her daughter, according to the YouTube video below.

After their daughter's death, the Grossman family filed a lawsuit against Mallory's school district.

According to the suit, a group of four girls bullied Mallory at home via social media, in the classroom, and in the lunchroom, actions the family claims directly led to Mallory's suicide death. The suit says the school district fell short of a legal obligation to prevent bullying.

The Grossman family said the school failed to prevent bullying from four classmates, and administrator's actions made Mallory's suffering worse. School officials have generally declined to comment, citing privacy laws, but issued a statement in August 2017 calling claims they failed to act "categorically false."

No criminal charges were filed in Mallory's death, a move the Grossman family lawyer called disappointing.

"An indictment would certainly send a message to others that this conduct is not acceptable and has consequences," Bruce Nagel, the Grossman family lawyer, told Patch at the time.

You can hear Dianne Grossman, and others, talk about Mallory here: