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School apologizes to Charlotte O’Brien’s family after removing memorial
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School apologizes to Charlotte O’Brien’s family after removing memorial

Paulina Skerman met with the O’Brien family at their home today, and it comes after the school hired a crisis PR firm.

At the meeting, 9News learned that Skerman apologized for the removal of the memorial to Charlotte from outside the gates of the Catholic school in Strathfield, SydneyThis is the inner west.
Charlotte O'Brien
The school of Charlotte O’Brien, the 12-year-old who died after years of relentless bullying, tonight called in a crisis PR agency. (9News)

Skerman reiterated that she believed she followed the advice of mental health organization Headspace when the memorial was removed.

Headspace’s advice isn’t simple: It warns against inadvertently glorifying suicide, but it also says that stopping memorials is not the way to avoid it.

Basically, Headspace’s advice suggests communicating and including family and friends in creating memorials.

Although the school did not consult the family before removing their tribute, all parties are now working together to create another memorial for Charlotte.

The family told 9News it would involve butterflies, which were Charlotte’s favorite.

Charlotte O'Brien
Santa Sabina College Principal Paulina Skerman met with the O’Brien family today after hiring the new communications aide and spending time with them at their home. (9News)

The family hopes the conversation can shift from Charlotte’s death to protecting children from bullying.

The memorial that was removed was made Sunday evening by Charlotte’s aunt, Melinda Rodger, and her children. By Monday afternoon, all traces had disappeared.

“We were absolutely devastated to learn Monday afternoon that everything had been removed…Words cannot express how devastated we were,” Rodger told 9News.

She explained that they created the memorial 50 days after Charlotte’s death “because we didn’t have a chance to say goodbye to her.”

Charlotte O'Brien
The memorial was made Sunday evening by Charlotte’s aunt Melinda Rodger and her children, but by Monday afternoon all trace of the site was gone. (9News)

“It was our special way to give him something to tell him that you mattered and that we miss you.”

Charlotte’s father, Mat, told 9News he was “at a loss for words” to describe how he felt about the way the school had handled his daughter’s death. 

“My niece and nephew wanted to honor him…we don’t follow a guide on how to grieve, so I’m not going to tell his cousins ​​how they should grieve for their cousin.

“From the school’s perspective, if I had been advised to remove these things, I wouldn’t have touched them.”