Queensland Department of Education responds to Atherton Tablelands Corrine Lee-Cheu’s suicide death

The Queensland Education Department says bullying is not tolerated in any school after a family of a teen said she was verbally abused and tormented on social media before she ended her life.

The Queensland Education Department says bullying is not tolerated in any school after a family of a teen said she was verbally abused and tormented on social media before she ended her life.

Corrine Lee-Cheu died by suicide in September 23.

The 13-year-old was a student at Atherton State High School where her mother and grandmother claim she was bullied including being bashed outside of schoolgrounds.

A spokesman from the department said the school community was deeply saddened by the loss.

He said the most effective response involved collaboration between parents, carers, schools, and the broader community.

“Bullying is not tolerated in our schools. Any student or parent with concerns about bullying at school is encouraged to speak with a teacher, guidance officer or the principal at their school,” the spokesman said.

Queensland teenager Corrine Lee-Cheu took her own life in September last year, leaving behind her loving and heartbroken family. They say she was a victim of relentless bullying. Photo: Supplied.

He said the department had been co-ordinating efforts to raise awareness and promoting anti-bullying strategies nationwide since 1999.

“The Atherton State High School community is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Corrine Lee-Cheu last year,” the statement said.

The school honoured Corrine’s memory through communication with the schools community “via a letter to all families and announcements at school assemblies”.

“Extensive wrap around support services are continuing including school guidance officers and support staff through the school’s wellbeing centre,” the spokesman said.

Continued support is also being offered through guidance officers through the school’s wellbeing centre.

The spokesman said mental health and wellbeing of students was a “priority for the department”, which aims to ensure every Queensland state school has access to a wellbeing professional, such as a psychologist or guidance officer.

“Supporting the mental health and wellbeing of students is of paramount importance,” the department said.

The Queensland Education Department says he most effective response involved collaboration between parents, carers, schools, and the broader community. Picture: Getty Images

This support is designed to complement the efforts of other specialist staff, including school nurses, chaplains, and youth support coordinators.

“Any student experiencing mental health concerns is strongly encouraged to reach out to school staff immediately,” the spokesman said.

“The department also has a close working relationship with Be You, whose consultants support principals and school staff to ensure a best practice approach to responding to the suicide of a young person in their school community.”

To better equip “wellbeing professionals” at schools, Black Dog Institute provides Suicide Risk Awareness training to help those in charge assess and respond to student suicide risks and related incidents.

All Queensland secondary schools are required to have a suicide postvention plan to help guide and inform school actions after a suicide event with a focus on providing students, staff and the wider school community with appropriate support.

The spokesman also said there was specific training designed to help school staff learn how to identify and address issues related to students’ mental health and wellbeing.

“headspace delivers SAFEMinds training to school staff to support identification of early warning signs of concerns about student mental health and provision of appropriate

responses,” they said.

“The department also has a dedicated Cyber Safety team, which assists schools in responding to and preventing online issues. The team also provides general cybersafety and

cyber-bullying information and links to available resources for schools and parents.”

Originally published as Queensland Department of Education responds to Atherton Tablelands Corrine Lee-Cheu’s suicide death