Parents at a prestigious school where a girl was driven to suicide by online bullying are frustrated by their lack of action to prevent further attacks and say the saga was not unique.
The family of Brisbane student Ella Catley-Crawford, 12, made the heartbreaking decision to turn off her life support on Saturday after she attempted to take her own life a week earlier.
She had spent nine months being attacked by vicious online harassers through the popular photo-sharing app, Snapchat.
She had received an academic scholarship to Lourdes Hill College, an elite private girls’ school, in February this year.
He spent a semester there before moving to the nearby mixed school Redlands College in a desperate attempt to escape his tormentors.
Several parents at Lourdes Hill College were shocked to hear the “horrendous” news of Ella’s death, while others blamed the school’s policies on bullying and said more needs to be done to address the issue.
One mother, who wished to remain anonymous, said she learned of Ella’s death on her way to school on Wednesday.
“I just felt sick to my stomach,” he said. courier mail.
The family of Ella Catley-Crawford (pictured) switched off her life support on Saturday after she attempted to take her own life a week earlier due to online harassment.
The school Ella (pictured) attended, Lourdes Hill College, has been accused of failing to help victims of bullying.
“This is the second time something like this has happened since we’ve been at school and I asked him how the school is responding to this and he said there hasn’t been any conversation about it yet.”
The mother’s daughter, who knew Ella, learned of the 12-year-old’s death through social media and conversations with classmates earlier in the week.
“My daughter is happy at school but, to be honest, she hasn’t had the best experiences either, not so much bullying, but with some of her teachers,” the mother said.
“I think there are issues that are not handled very well and it has happened before, but even I see it at work, today’s society is not very well prepared to handle mental health and all those feelings, especially among young children, so than us.” I have a lot to learn.’
Lourdes Hill College Principal Kay Gleeson emailed parents Tuesday afternoon to inform them of Ella’s tragic death and offer students support from campus counselors.
“We understand that the coming weeks will be particularly difficult and that community members may have different responses to this tragedy,” Ms. Gleeson wrote.
‘We understand that our community will have many questions regarding this matter, however, out of respect for those affected, I ask that we avoid any speculation or discussion.
‘The well-being of our students remains our top priority and we are committed to providing a caring, safe and supportive environment. We have a zero-tolerance anti-bullying policy and all students participate in our age-appropriate Stella Wellness Program.
“Our university’s values remind us of our strength as a community to support each other in difficult times.”
However, Lourdes Hill’s mother claimed the school was not doing enough to address ongoing bullying issues.
He also welcomed stricter age restrictions.
“I think the age limit of 16 is 100 percent necessary, they are too young, their brains are not developed, they don’t know what’s wrong with them and they still need adult supervision,” he said.
Ella’s torment began shortly after she He took an academic scholarship at school.
‘Hypervigilant’ mum Julie Crawford (pictured with Ella) moved her daughter to Redlands College public school after just one term – but the damage had already been done
Three Year Seven girls suspended from Lourdes Hill College for bullying Ella (pictured) online
Her “hypervigilant” mother, Julie Crawford, 55, moved her to Redlands College after just one term, but says the damage had already been done.
“She was immediately happier and the new school was fantastic, but bullies still targeted her through the apps,” Ms Crawford told Daily Mail Australia.
The 12-year-old girl’s torment did not surprise her devoted mother, who He had given Ella his old phone for Christmas to entertain her on the bus to and from school.
I had banned him from using apps like tiktok and Snapchat, bBut when Ella started seventh grade, she saw that her daughter was glued to her phone screen.
“At first I thought he was just texting his new friends,” she said.
‘I knew they had a Year Seven group chat, but it was Snapchat.
‘I made her delete it immediately even though she told me she was being safe.
“I don’t know how, but she made another account and hid it from me.”
Despite Ms Crawford’s repeated attempts to end Ella’s use of social media, the harassment escalated quickly and regularly left her daughter in tears.
Then in March, Ms Crawford, a human resources manager, received a call from the school claiming concerns had been raised that Ella, then 11, had been bullying other students online.
“I told them ‘I don’t think so’, that they were wrong and they investigated it further,” he said.
Days later, three Year Seven girls were suspended from Lourdes College for bullying Ella online.
The school never gave Crawford the details of its findings, but the damage had been done, his mother said.
Lourdes Hill College Principal Kay Gleeson emailed parents Tuesday afternoon to inform them of Ella’s tragic death (pictured) and offer students support from campus counselors.
“I don’t know exactly what it was about,” he added.
‘People had posed as people they were not, a girl posed as a boy and the messages Ella sent them were shared with others.
“Her friends started pulling away from her and not inviting her to a birthday party and some of the kids said they needed a break, that it was too much, that she was too much.”
Mrs Crawford moved her “bright and quirky” daughter to Redlands College at the end of term one in April.
But although Ella felt instantly happier and made new friends, she couldn’t escape the online abuse that followed.
“She was so depressed I took her to the doctor and she was diagnosed with depression and was on medication,” her mother told Daily Mail Australia.
“But I made sure I was always around and that we had things to do to keep her busy.”
Crawford says that when her daughter got distracted by things she was looking forward to, her “best friend and love of her life” would return to her happy self.
But as soon as he was left with his phone, things changed quickly.
“Some days during the holidays he wouldn’t get out of bed,” his mother said.
“I just hoped it wouldn’t get worse, but I never expected her to commit suicide.”
Ms Crawford found her daughter apparently lifeless on Sunday, October 27, and began CPR while waiting for paramedics.
She was rushed to Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane and spent a week on life support before doctors confirmed she had no brain activity.
Queensland Police have Ella’s phone and iPad and are now investigating her death.
On Monday, Andrew Johnson, principal of Redlands College, texted parents of Year Seven students with details of a special counseling service.
Students in Ella’s year learned of her death the same day.
“The university will not be making any formal announcements for other year levels, but will invite parents to make the decision about whether and when they will share this news with their son or daughter,” Mr Johnson added.
Ella’s heartbroken mother says that without her she has nothing left, so she will now dedicate herself to raising awareness in the hope of helping others.
Ella’s family (pictured with her mother) has created a GoFundMe to help pay for funeral costs, time off work to grieve, and facilitate greater awareness.
His family has created a GoFundMe to help pay for funeral costs, time off work to grieve and facilitate greater awareness. More than $133,000 has been raised in three days.
Ella’s mother made a heartfelt plea to her supporters at the online fundraiser on Wednesday, vowing to put pressure on the government.
‘Thank you to all the wonderful people who took the time and hard-earned money to read Ella’s beautiful, short story. “Our hearts are broken and our lives have been changed forever,” Mrs. Crawford wrote.
‘Your kind and generous donations will help us provide Ella with a beautiful funeral, medical bills, time to grieve and also fund educational programs about social media and children.
‘If you can, write to Snapchat and get them to change some settings to stop harassers and block them. We plan to mobilize the Australian government to help save the lives of our children.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Lourdes Hill College for comment.
If you or someone you know needs help, please contact Lifeline Australia 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue 1300 22 46 36.
