A New Jersey school superintendent quit after a student's death. He is still being paid.

BERKELEY, N.J. − Despite announcing that New Jersey superintendent Triantafillos Parlapanides had resigned a week ago, the Central Regional School District has not accepted his resignation and will not comment on his employment status, except to confirm he is still receiving his $195,343 salary.

"Dr. Parlapanides is still being paid," said Kevin O'Shea, the district's business administrator, in an email to the Asbury Park Press on Friday. "At the advice of our attorney, that is all that we can disclose at this time."

Parlapanides' resignation was announced after he made comments to Daily Mail, a British tabloid, where he revealed intimate details about a 14-year-old student who died by suicide in her home on Feb. 4.

The late teen's father said she killed herself because of trauma from 36 hours of online bullying she endured after a video of classmates attacking her in school was posted on social media. The superintendent's comments to the newspaper sparked public outrage among those who thought he was overstepping privacy boundaries.

If you or a loved one are thinking about suicide, call or text 988 for help, 24 hours a day. 

Although the district announced Parlapanides' resignation on its website on Feb. 11, the regional Board of Education took no action on the matter at its meeting Thursday night, which it would be required to do before the superintendent's relationship with the district was formally severed.

Previous coverage: She was bullied and took her own life. Four were charged and an administrator has resigned.

Mental health: Teen girls report record levels of violence, sadness and suicide risk, CDC survey finds

Contract limits reasons for superintendent dismissal, salary reduction

On Friday, one week after the district announced he had resigned, the district acknowledged that he was still employed at a salary of $195,353, despite the fact Parlapanides has been replaced in name by acting Superintendent Douglas Corbett, who was previously an assistant superintendent. Corbett's salary remains at $186,430.

The district would not comment on what Parlapanides is doing as a district employee or what his current job title is. O'Shea did provide a copy of Parlapanides' contract.

Under the terms of that contract, the superintendent cannot be dismissed or be subjected to a reduction in salary for the term of his contract — which expires on July 1, 2025 — unless he is indicted for a criminal offense, is found to have misrepresented his qualifications or educational credentials, or the superintendent and board mutually agree to his departure.

"The Board shall have the authority to relieve the Superintendent of the performance of his duties in accordance with (state law), so long as it continues to pay his salary and benefits for the duration of the term," the contract states.

District defends bullying policies, denies 'culture of violence'

During a news conference on Thursday, Corbett defended the district’s response to bullying, declaring there is no “culture of violence” as some parents have claimed in light of the student's suicide.

He also laid out a list of changes the schools plan to make, including creation of a steering committee to review policies, a toll-free helpline for students, and a review of the district cell phone policy.

The news conference came before several hundred angry students and parents demanded answers and offered criticism, some through tears, of the district's bullying policies during a board meeting later Thursday evening.

It was during that meeting, that a member of the public pointed out that the board’s agenda for Thursday night did not include the acceptance of Parlapanides' resignation, although there was an agenda item to approve "an administrative leave of absence for Employee #4529 effective immediately."

When the board was asked if the unnamed employee being granted administrative leave was Parlapanides, the board said it could not discuss the matter further.

The board has been largely silent since the student's death and instead retained a public relations firm — Princeton Strategic Communications in Trenton — at a cost of $3,000 for up to 24 hours to handle inquiries from the media and offer consulting services to deal with the public fallout from the crisis.

Any additional need for the company's services will result in a charge to the district of $125 per hour. That does not include expenses, all according to a copy of the contract, which O'Shea signed on Tuesday.

Asbury Park Press reporter Ken Serrano contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: New Jersey schools: Superintendent still paid despite resigning