Amelia family demands change after teen’s suicide tied to bullying

AMELIA COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- Nearly two weeks after 17-year-old Amelia County high schooler John Tyrcha took his own life, his grieving family is calling for accountability and action from Amelia County Public Schools (ACPS) regarding the years of bullying they said were overlooked.

"I went upstairs looking for him," said Tyrcha's mother, Melissa Aigner, recounting the day of his death. "And then I just ... I found him, and that's when hell began."

Aigner, who works for the school division, said the bullying had been persistent since middle school.

Photos of John Tyrcha, a 17-year-old Amelia County boy who killed himself due to bullying. (Photo: 8News)

"He had got in a fight with somebody that he considered a friend," she said. "They -- a group of them -- held him down in the bathroom, beat him up. Somebody recorded it, and it was sent to me."

Aigner said they pressed charges in that instance, but things got worse when her son started at Amelia County High School.

“He would text me when the bullying would get worse and be like, ‘Mom, I want to come home,’” Aigner said. “He would send me pictures of what was [written] on the bathroom walls.”

The family said that, every time they talked to the school system, they would be told that things were being handled.

"I would get a response, just [that] they were taking care of it," Aigner said. "They would say 'Oh, well, we can't say who wrote on the wall because we don't know, because there's no cameras in the bathrooms.'"

A special school board meeting was held the night of Monday, May 8 in response to Tyrcha’s death.

Childhood photos of John Tyrcha, a 17-year-old Amelia County boy who killed himself due to bullying. (Photo: 8News)

School officials detailed current policies already in place, including anti-bullying policies, as well as a three-step discipline process. Said process involves parent notification, student and staff interviews, and consequences such as detention, loss of privileges, or removal from class.

The officials also noted compliance with Virginia’s 2023 law requiring parents to be informed within 24 hours of any alleged bullying incident.

Many parents spoke in support of Tyrcha's family, sharing similar stories of bullying met with a lack of change from the school board.

A person read a statement on a student's behalf, saying that the same student who bullied John had bullied her, too.

“All they did was put him in I.S.S. and ignore the issue,” the woman said.

Overall, Tyrcha's family maintained that the school division largely did nothing to stop the bullying.

“Only a couple -- one or two instances I can really think of, that they took care of,” his father said.

John Tyrcha, a 17-year-old Amelia County boy who killed himself due to bullying. (Photo: 8News)

Board members also presented several planned improvements, including hiring a student advancement coach for each school, enhancing mental health services, continuing to use the “Action Speaks” reporting system and supporting state-level initiatives to strengthen anti-bullying consequences.

Administrators said weekly meetings between school leadership are underway.

Tyrcha’s family, meanwhile, is working with state legislators to push for stronger laws around school bullying.

“There’s no family that should ever have to endure this -- [and] certainly not because of bullying,” Aigner said.