Parents at a prestigious school where a young girl was driven to suicide by online bullying are frustrated by the lack of action to prevent further attacks and claim the story was not a one-off.
The family of 12-year-old Brisbane schoolgirl Ella Catley-Crawford made the heartbreaking decision to cut off her life support on Saturday after she attempted suicide a week earlier.
She had been the target of ruthless online bullies for nine months through the popular photo-sharing app Snapchat.
Ella had received an academic scholarship to Lourdes Hill College, an elite private girls’ school, in February this year.
She spent a semester there before moving to the nearby co-educational school Redlands College in a desperate bid to escape her tormentors.
Several parents at Lourdes Hill College were shocked to hear the ‘horrific’ news of Ella’s death, while others blamed the school’s policies for bullying and said more must be done to tackle the problem.
One mother, who asked to remain anonymous, claimed she heard about Ella’s death on her way to school on Wednesday.
“I just felt sick,” she told the newspaper Courier mail.
The family of Ella Catley-Crawford (pictured) turned off her life support on Saturday after she attempted suicide a week earlier due to online bullying
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 started school. I asked her how the school is responding to this and she said there have been no discussions about it yet.’
The mother’s daughter, who knew Ella, learned of the 12-year-old’s death earlier this week through social media and conversations with classmates.
“My daughter is happy at school, but to be honest she hasn’t had the best experiences either, not so much from bullying, but from some of her teachers,” the mother said.
“I think there are issues that are not being addressed very well and it has happened before, but I see it even at work: today’s society is not very well prepared for mental health and all those feelings, especially among young children – so we’ I still have a lot to learn.’
Lourdes Hill College principal Kay Gleeson emailed parents Tuesday afternoon to inform them of Ella’s tragic death and to offer students support from counselors on campus.
“We understand that the coming weeks will be extremely difficult, and that community members may have different reactions to this tragedy,” Ms. Gleeson wrote.
“We understand that our community will have many questions about this matter, but out of respect for those involved, I ask that we avoid any speculation or discussion.
‘The well-being of our students remains our top priority and we strive to provide a caring, safe and supportive environment. We have a zero tolerance policy against bullying and all students participate in our age-appropriate Stella Wellbeing Program.
“Our College Values remind us of our strength as a community to support each other in challenging times.”
However, Lourdes Hill’s mother claimed the school was not doing enough to tackle ongoing bullying problems.
She also welcomed stricter age restrictions.
“I think the age limit of 16 is 100 percent necessary, they are way too young, their brains are not developed yet, they don’t know what is wrong and they still need adult supervision,” she said.
Ella’s torment began shortly after her took up an academic scholarship at the school.
‘Hyper-vigilant’ mother Julie Crawford (pictured with Ella) moved her daughter to Redlands College public school after just one semester, but the damage was done
Three year seven girls were expelled from Lourdes Hill College for bullying Ella (pictured) online
Her ‘hyper-vigilant’ mother Julie Crawford, 55, moved her to Redlands College after just one term, but says the damage had already been done.
“She was instantly happier and the new school was great, but the bullies still reached her through the apps,” Ms Crawford told Daily Mail Australia.
The 12-year-old’s torment came as no surprise to her devoted mother had given Ella her old phone Christmas to entertain her on the bus to and from school.
She had her banned apps like TikTok and Snapchat, bWhen Ella started seventh year, she noticed her daughter glued to her phone screen.
“At first I thought she was just texting her new friends,” she said.
“I knew they had a Year Seven group chat, but it was Snapchat.
‘I had her remove it straight away, even though she told me she was safe.
“I don’t know how, but she created another account and hid it from me.”
Despite Ms Crawford’s repeated attempts to stop Ella’s use of social media, the bullying quickly escalated, regularly leaving her daughter in tears.
Then in March, Ms Crawford, an HR manager, received a call from the school claiming concerns had been raised that Ella, who was 11 at the time, had bullied other pupils online.
“I told them, ‘I don’t think so,’ that they were wrong and they investigated further,” she said.
Days later, three year 7 girls were suspended from Lourdes College for bullying Ella online.
The school never gave Ms. Crawford the details of their findings, but the damage had been done, her mother said.
Lourdes Hill College principal Kay Gleeson emailed parents on Tuesday afternoon to inform them of Ella’s tragic death (pictured) and offer students support from counselors on campus
“I don’t know exactly what it was all about,” she added.
‘People had pretended to be people they weren’t, a girl pretended to be a boy and messages Ella sent to them were shared with others.
“Friends started to pull away from her and she wasn’t invited to a birthday party, with some kids saying they needed a break, that it was too much, that she was too much.”
Mrs Crawford moved her “bright and strong-willed” daughter to Redlands College at the end of her first term in April.
But although Ella was immediately happier and made new friends, she couldn’t escape the online abuse that followed her.
“Ella was so down that I took her to the doctors and she was diagnosed with depression and put on medication,” her mother told Daily Mail Australia.
“But I made sure I was always there and that we had things to do to keep her occupied.”
Mrs. Crawford says that when her daughter was distracted by things to look forward to, her “best friend and love of her life” was her former happy self.
But once she left her phone behind, things quickly changed.
“Some days during the holidays she wouldn’t get out of bed,” her mother said.
“I just hoped it wouldn’t get worse, but I never expected her to commit suicide.”
Mrs Crawford found her daughter apparently lifeless on Sunday, October 27, and began CPR while she waited for paramedics.
Ella was rushed to Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane and was on a ventilator for a week before doctors confirmed she had no brain activity.
Queensland Police have Ella’s phone and iPad and are now investigating her death.
On Monday, Redlands College principal Andrew Johnson sent a text message to parents of year seven students with details of a special counseling service.
Students in Ella’s year were told of her death on the same day.
“The college will not make any formal announcements for other year levels but will invite parents to decide if and when to share this news with their son or daughter,” Mr Johnson added.
Ella’s heartbroken mother says she has nothing left without her, so she will now dedicate herself to raising awareness in the hope she can help others.
Ella’s family (pictured with her mother) have set up a GoFundMe to help pay funeral costs, take time off to grieve and raise awareness
Her family has one GoFundMe to help pay funeral costs, take time off to grieve and raise awareness. More than $133,000 was raised within three days.
Ella’s mother made a heartfelt plea to supporters during the online fundraiser on Wednesday, promising to lobby the government.
‘Thank you to all the wonderful people who took the time and their hard earned money to read our beautiful Ella’s story, which was so short. Our hearts are broken and our lives are forever changed,” Ms. Crawford wrote.
“Your kind and generous donations will help us give Ella a beautiful funeral, medical bills, time to grieve and also fund education programs about social media and children.
“If you can write to Snapchat and get them to change some settings to stop and block bullies. We plan to engage the government in Australia on this 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 support, please contact Lifeline Australia 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue 1300 22 46 36.