Family heartbroken after school removes teen's memorial site
Charlotte O'Brien, 12, sadly took her own life on September 9 after experiencing relentless bullying at Santa Sabina College in Strathfield, Sydney.
Following the young schoolgirl's tragic death, her heartbroken family set up a memorial for her on a tree near the school. Her aunt Melinda Rodgers explained it was the only way they could bid farewell to the teen.
“It was something we wanted to do for Charlotte because we didn’t get the opportunity to say goodbye,” she told Nine News.
“It was our special way of giving her something to say you mattered and we miss you.”
The memorial was set up over the weekend, with a small plaque put in place and flowers which began piling up as others started to pay tribute to the 12-year-old.
On Monday afternoon, the memorial site had been removed. The family first realised this when they saw Charlotte's grandfather, who had previously left flowers at the site, “wandering aimlessly up and down the street … trying to find the memorial site to lay his flowers”
“Words cannot express how devastated we were,” Rodgers said, after finding out the memorial site had been removed.
Paulina Skerman the principal of the school, confirmed they had removed the memorial “because of concerns that were raised about the impact this could have on young people”.
She explained that the school was “with Charlotte’s family to find a permanent and loving way to remember Charlotte” and promised the 12-year-old would “not be forgotten”.
Despite the school's explanation, Charlotte's father Mat, said he was “running out of words” to describe his feelings about the situation.
“From the school’s perspective, If I was given advice to remove those things, I wouldn’t have touched them,” he said, adding it would be a "positive step" for the school to put up a permanent memorial to his daughter.
Her parents had previously opened up about how disappointed they were in the school for reportedly showing "no empathy" during their 20-minute meeting with the principal, following Charlotte's death.
“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," Mat said at the time.
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