Father of Bullied Teen Who Committed Suicide to Speak at West Essex Middle School

Motivational speaker John Halligan of Vermont will speak about bullying to three assemblies at West Essex Middle School on Oct. 14. Halligan’s son Ryan committed suicide on October 7, 2003 when he was 13 after he was ridiculed and humiliated by peers in school and online.

Halligan will speak to two assemblies during the day and then at a special presentation for parents in the evening at 7 p.m. in the Middle School Auditorium. The father will recount the story of his son’s life from his birth to his death, focusing on the problems he had with bullying the last few years of his life.

“We have no doubt that bullying and cyber bullying were two significant environmental factors that triggered Ryan’s depression,” Halligan said.

Halligan has been outspoken about the need for more education and the prevention of bullying, cyber bullying and teen suicide throughout the United States.

Halligan blames “the whole system” for his son’s death and notes “something had to happen in response to this tragedy.”
“We decided to take all this intense pain and channel it into productive areas to help other young people avoid the same fate as our son,” Halligan expressed.

Halligan was involved in promoting a bully prevention law in Vermont and told West Essex that New Jersey has one of the most stringent anti-bullying laws in the country.

Halligan spoke to two West Essex Middle School student assemblies to 2012 and at another assembly for parents in the evening.
He and his wife Kelly have appeared on several national TV programs including Primetime with Diane Sawyer, PBS Frontline and Oprah.

Parents are encouraged to visit this link for anti-bullying tips and click here for 18 rules for safe cell phone use.

Information courtesy of, Allison Freeman, Manager of Communications & Community Outreach, West Essex Regional Schools