ROSELAND -- The parents of Mallory Grossman, a 12-year-old Rockaway Township girl who committed suicide this summer, said at a Tuesday press conference their daughter was bullied in person and in the form of texts and social media messages from other girls at Copeland Middle School over the course of months.

Despite messages saying she had no friends, calling her "a loser," and saying "why don't you kill yourself," Bruce Nagel, the Grossmans' attorney, said, the school failed to take any action.

"This small device can be a lethal weapon in the hands of the wrong child," Nagel said holding up an iPhone.

The Grossmans said the bullying of Mallory took the form of "mean texts" and posts on Instagram and Snapchat, along with "dirty looks," humiliation and exclusion at school. Two of the last Instagram posts, they said, were taken on school grounds.

Mallory, they said, was a happy child and a good student but began to dread school, often having stomachaches and headaches to avoid going.

Mallory's mother, Dianne Grossman, said she'd repeatedly been in contact with school administrators over bullying that began in October but she said school officials failed to take any substantial action.

Dianne Grossman said officials to this day haven't filed any harassment, intimidation or bullying reports, known as HIB reports, with the state over any of the incidents in which her daughter was bullied. She said the school "dismissed her concerns" despite her pleas they file a HIB report.

Moreover, she said, Rockaway Township School District has only self-assessed its own performance with regard to bullying but hasn't had any outside evaluation.

Dianne Grossman also said she'd been in contact with the mother of one of the girls the night before her daughter's death but the mother downplayed the alleged bullying.

The Grossmans said they were in the process of pulling Mallory out of the public school and putting her into a private school when she died.

Nagel said at the Tuesday press conference outside of his firm, Nagel Rice, the family was filing a notice of intent to file a tort claim against the district and administrators alleging "gross negligence." The family may also name the parents of the "three or four girls" who allegedly bullied Mallory.

Rockaway Township schools superintendent Greg McGann has said in a statement on the district's website school officials would meet over the summer "to review all of our district procedures and plan for district wide community building at our schools."

"This will involve all of our students, staff and families as we seek ways to build strong family and community engagement as well as promote positive school culture and climate in all of our schools," he said.

McGann hasn't yet responded to requests for comment.

The Morris County Prosecutor's Office has said it is handling the investigation into Mallory's death but it has declined further comment.

For more information on suicide prevention, visit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's website or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Justin Zaremba may be reached at jzaremba@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinZarembaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.