Heartbreaking text Australian girl sent before committing suicide – father claims school made huge mistake

Relatives of a 12-year-old girl who was allegedly bullied at a Sydney private school and then committed suicide have broken their silence.

Charlotte, a first-year student at Santa Sabina College in Strathfield, in the city’s west, committed suicide earlier this month.

On Monday, Charlotte’s family spoke out in a statement to 2GB presenter Ben Fordham.

They demanded that the bullying, which they said drove their daughter to despair, not be swept under the carpet.

“Earlier this week our family experienced a day that will stay with us for the rest of our lives,” the statement said.

‘We lost our baby girl in the most horrible circumstances. She was only 12 years old.

“There are no words that can describe what this is like for us, and it will never be the same,” the letter continued.

‘Charlotte has left such a big hole in our lives and we miss her terribly.

My daughter was bullied by girls who still attend this school.

‘She wrote a suicide note in which she specifically mentioned the bullying she had experienced at school.

Charlotte, 12, took her own life earlier this month. Her family said they were once asked to pick her up from school after she cried in the toilet

Last week, the seventh-grader at Santa Sabina College committed suicide and her family say bullying at school pushed her over the edge

She said life was too hard for her to go on.

‘When the most recent bullying case came up, the school simply said it was being investigated and the girls denied it. That was it. Case closed. Move on.

‘Well, my beautiful daughter’s life will not go on and I will never be able to say goodbye to her.

“These issues cannot be swept under the rug. I will not allow the memory of my daughter to be swept under the rug either.

How many more children have to die before they get it? How many parents have to suffer the pain of never being able to pick up their child from school before they get it?

“We are broken forever.”

Fordham said the family told him they had been complaining for two years about Charlotte being bullied at school.

The family said that ‘on one day the school called mother to arrange for Charlotte to be picked up because Charlotte had been crying in the toilet’.

“She told the girl who found her, ‘I don’t want to be here.’ She told her mother, ‘My body is filling with pain until my heart explodes,’” Fordham said.

On the night she died, Charlotte sent a friend a photo of herself crying, with the simple caption: “I’m sorry.” Her friend sent a series of increasingly concerned messages back (above)

Fordham too interviewed a father whose daughter befriended Charlotte outside the school she attended in Strathfield.

The father, who gave only his name as Jason, said his daughter was bullied in primary school and that this was partly why she had a bond with Charlotte, who continually said that bullies at her school made life hell.

The night Charlotte committed suicide, Jason said she texted his daughter a photo and a picture. The photo was of Charlotte crying and the caption simply read, “I’m sorry.”

Jason’s daughter then sent a series of increasingly panicked replies.

“Charlotte, you’re scaring me,” was the first message.

Then she texted: ‘Charlotte? Charlotte? Answer.’

“I want to know if you are okay,” the daughter wrote after receiving no response again.

“Charlotte, please, I’m here for you,” was her last message.

“I’m very proud of my daughter,” Jason said before bursting into tears as he tried to express Charlotte’s family’s “sadness.”

Fordham said he also contacted school principal Paulina Skerman via email,

Mrs Skerman sent a message to the school community thanking everyone for the ‘outpouring of love and support’ for Charlotte.

“I must also express my concerns about the allegations of bullying at Santa Sabina,” she wrote.

‘Such allegations are extremely serious and are treated as such.’

Ms Skerman said the school’s anti-bullying policy, which is on its website, states that “responses must always be swift, considered and fair when necessary, with a commitment to ensuring the safety of all involved”.

The message urged anyone with knowledge or evidence of bullying to report it “through formal channels.”

“It adds nothing to turn such claims into speculation or gossip. Speculation at this time is painful and unnecessary.”

While the segment was airing, Fordham said he received a message from Charlotte’s mother, Kelly, which he read aloud.

“Thank you for standing up for Charlotte, something I feel I have failed to do,” Kelly wrote.

Santa Sabina College Principal Paulina Skerman has sent a message to the school community saying “speculation” and “gossip” about the tragedy are not helpful

Please, I must emphasize that I do not want little girls to feel responsible for this.

‘I don’t want another mother to not be able to wake her child up in the morning.

‘They’re just little girls, so they don’t understand.

‘Charlotte made a mistake at a time of grief, this was not her intention, she did not understand.’

Santa Sabina College issued a statement on Monday in response to questions from Daily Mail Australia.

“A number of allegations are being made about the circumstances leading up to her (Charlotte’s) death. These allegations are new to the college and are not consistent with our records,” the statement said.

‘In the outpouring of grief where everyone is rightly asking how this could have happened, the council asks the media to exercise extreme care in reporting so that no further problems are caused to other vulnerable young people in our community and beyond.

“The college’s highest priority at this time is to support and care for our students, their families and our staff, as well as to support this grieving family.”

The school said it continues to work with counselors, Headspace and other experts to provide Charlotte’s peers and loved ones with the best possible support.

However, it said “mental health experts” warned that further media coverage “offers nothing positive for the grieving family or community” and “leaves young people even more vulnerable … who are at risk because of what they hear and read”.

“While the council supports the idea of ​​raising awareness around mental health issues, we must bear in mind that these are children and that this situation must be handled carefully,” the statement said.

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