A school has apologised to the family of a 12-year-old girl who took her own life after backlash over the removal of her memorial and criticism of the principal’s handling of the situation.
Year 7 student Charlotte O’Brien took her own life in September after experiencing relentless bullying while attending the Catholic school, Santa Sabina in the inner-west Sydney suburb of Strathfield.
Following her death, Charlotte’s family created a memorial near the school, only for it to be removed days later by the school, leaving her loved ones devastated.
Last week, principal Paulina Skerman initially defended the decision, citing advice from mental health experts at Headspace.
‘On the advice of mental health experts including Headspace, who are working with the College, we removed the memorial because of the concerns that were raised about the impact this could have on other young people,’ Principal Kerman said.
But 2GB Sydney breakfast host Ben Fordham contacted Headspace, who challenged the principal’s version of events.
‘Headspace did not recommend Santa Sabina or Paulina Skerman remove the memorial dedicated to Charlotte. To say that they did is a straight-out lie,’ Fordham told his listeners on Friday morning.
He added: ‘It never ever happened. Headspace did not advise Paulina Skerman or anyone at Santa Sabina to take it down.’
The year 7 student tragically died by suicide in September
Following the 12-year-old’s tragic death, Charlotte’s heartbroken family set up a memorial on a tree near the school with a small plaque, a picture and flowers (pictured: Charlotte’s grandfather, Bill, pictured at the memorial site)
But the shrine was mysteriously removed only a few days later, leaving her bereaved family devastated (pictured)
Following Fordham’s revelations last week, the school issued an apology on Monday morning.
‘We are devastated for Charlotte’s family and friends, and we acknowledge that some of the college’s initial statements to the media were inadequate and hurtful.
‘We apologise to Charlotte’s family for this. It was never our intention to add to their pain.
‘We acknowledge that, at times, our efforts have fallen short, and we are sincerely sorry.
‘The choice to remove the public memorial was a difficult one, balancing the desire to honor Charlotte’s memory with our responsibility to prevent further distress to students.
‘Ms Skerman was grateful to visit Charlotte’s parents, Kelly and Matt, to apologize to them personally.
‘We are committed to working together to create a permanent memorial to remember Charlotte. She will not be forgotten.’
Charlotte’s family have been critical of Santa Sabrina College following her death.
They claim the school could have done more to stop the bullying Charlotte experienced before she took her own life, despite the issue being raised multiple times.
Paulina Skerman (pictured), principal at Santa Sabina, has personally apologised to the family of Charlotte O’Brien
It follows 2GB host Ben Fordham exposing that the school’s reasoning for removing the memorial was a ‘straight up lie’
‘She wrote a goodbye note specifically mentioning the bullying she received at the school,’ Charlotte’s mother said.
‘She said life was too difficult for her to continue.
‘When the most recent case of bullying was raised, the school simply said it was investigated and the girls denied it. That’s it. Case closed. Move on.
‘Well my beautiful daughter’s life won’t move on and I’ll never get to say goodbye.
‘These issues cannot be swept under the carpet. I will not let my daughter’s memory be swept under the carpet either.
‘How many more children need to lose their lives before they get it? How many parents need to feel the pain of never being able to pick up their child from school again before they get it?
‘We’re broken forever.’
They also criticised the school’s response after Charlotte’s death, with Mat stating that it took weeks to arrange a meeting with Principal Skerman.
When the meeting finally took place, they claim they were dismissed.
‘That glimmer of hope that anything positive to come from that meeting was squashed the moment we arrived,’ he said.
‘We had to navigate ourselves across the school grounds, surrounded by other girls in their school uniform, knowing that we will never see our daughter again. That was incredibly hard for us,’ he said.
A memorial for Charlotte (pictured) outside the school was removed on Monday, further fuelling her parents’ grief
‘We arrived there and met with the principal. When I shared the feedback, she wasn’t interested in receiving that. The feedback was interrupted. It was discounted. It was disagreed with.
‘I sat across the room from a lady (the principal) that showed myself and the rest of the family no emotion or empathy at all.’
When asked if the principal made any sort of apology for the death of their daughter, Mr O’Brien said ‘there was no accountability at all’.
‘The questions we wanted answered were simply not answered at all. We were left to show ourselves out of the school ground,’ he said.
Santa Sabina College previously defended its handling of bullying, saying their anti-bullying policy was available on their website.
‘In the past week, I have been overwhelmed by the number of emails and messages from our families that talk about their children feeling safe and cared for at Santa Sabina College,’ Principal Skerman said.
She said parents ‘objected to the portrayal of our College as failing to deal with matters that cause distress among our students’.
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