Death of 10-year-old in school NOT BEING INVESTIGATED despite suspicious note being found
ILLAWARRA, AUSTRALIA: A shocking note was discovered at the site of a 10-year-old schoolboy's death that hinted at him taking his own life. On Wednesday, August 10, the unresponsive child was discovered by emergency responders at a primary school in the Illawarra area of New South Wales, Australia. The fifth grader could not be saved.
Rescue officers reportedly found it difficult to process the events they witnessed, according to The Daily Telegraph. Despite the fact that a suspicious note was found on the premises of the death, the incident is not being further investigated.
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In a statement, a Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong representative said, "Following the death, the school and the Catholic Education Office have been and will continue providing comprehensive support to the school community, including counseling for staff and students."
Professor Ian Hickie, the executive director of the University of Sydney's Brain and Mind Research Institute, stated: "It's the extent to which these communities, the school community, surrounding communities pull together and don't blame each other, that will help us get through it. Pre-Covid we were seeing increased rates of psychological distress and self-harming behavior in younger people and younger ages of onset."
He added, "Then we had COVID come along, and that's been really tough for young people, particularly school age and early post-school years." Australians, according to professor Hickie, ought to figure out how to keep friendly and open relations between loved ones and children. "The upside is the community is aware; parents are aware; schools are aware; our general awareness of the extent to which young people are struggling has gone up," the professor concluded.
Many instances of child suicide have been noted around the world that involved instances like bullying and threats. One of them is the tragic death of 9-year-old Jamel Myles of Denver, who reportedly killed himself on August 23, 2018, in his house. His mother stated that her son, who had recently begun fourth grade at Joe Shoemaker Elementary School, was negatively influenced by bullies. Another incident is that of 13-year-old Aaron Fuller from Ohio, who choked himself with a belt while at his house as a result of school cyberbullies who urged him to take the decision on January 11, 2019. According to Aaron's parents, his school hesitated to step in while he was getting tormented on campus grounds. Aaron was a sixth-grader at that time.
Bullying has become one of the major reasons for kids and teens taking their own lives. It is impossible to know what exactly goes on in a child's mind unless we communicate with them openly. By taking a few simple steps, we can help prevent tragic instances like these from happening. The National Institute of Mental Health has compiled a list of warning signs that could help parents understand when it's important to step in. The signs are listed below.
If children:
1. Have frequent tantrums or are intensely irritable much of the time
2. Often talk about fears or worries
3. Complain about frequent stomachaches or headaches with no known medical cause
4. Are in constant motion and cannot sit quietly (except when they are watching videos or playing videogames)
5. Sleep too much or too little, have frequent nightmares, or seem sleepy during the day
6. Are not interested in playing with other children or have difficulty making friends
7. Struggle academically or have experienced a recent decline in grades
8. Repeat actions or check things many times out of fear that something bad may happen
Offer your support and seek help if needed.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).