Major changes are coming to help stop the scourge of school bullying. The Education Minister called the youth suicide crisis the biggest challenge of our time promising a streamlined strategy for all classrooms. The tragic story of Sydney schoolgirl Charlotte O'Brien has inspired the call to action.
For more, Taylor Aiken reports.
Clutching a teddy tide, Matt and Kelly O'Brien mourn their little girl. Inside Charlie the Bear are the ashes of their daughter, Charlotte, lost to suicide at just twelve years old.
Hi, I'm going to my six fellow tonight.
In a new documentary release by the Daily Telegraph today, Charlotte's parents revealed their daughter's final wish, written in a note, share her story to stop the bullying crisis infecting our schools.
I found out after she passed that she was hiding in toilets, and you know, I'm just so afraid, but she didn't tell me.
Charlotte's mother, Kelly, says she pleaded for help from her daughter's school sad to Sabina College, but nothing happened. Instead, she was met with silence.
Once adults have been notified, they need to stand up, they need to be the upstair.
It's a story shared by hundreds of families who have lost their children to suicide, parents being turned away from schools while desperate for help. The Education Minister admits she was shocked to learn there is no statewide policy for bullying in schools. Currently, it's up to each individual principle to develop their own which varies significantly across public, independent, and private schools. Now that's about to change.
The time has come for us to work together on making sure that no matter where you send your child to school, that they're going to be safe.
With Parents also encouraged to look out for the signs of bullying, including cuts and bruises or ripped clothes, kids losing things, avoiding school, being stressed, trouble sleeping, and friendship breakups.
We just have to work together on this. It's the biggest challenge of our times, hands down.