Coroner recommends NSW school suspension overhaul after suicide death of ‘charismatic’ Taree 15yo

A “charismatic and affectionate” teen took her own life after a spate of suspensions from a regional NSW school. Her horrifying story will send shockwaves through the education system.

Schools kept suspending Harmony – but they were just sending her home to her mum’s drug den. Now she’s dead and the coroner has blasted the government.

A “charismatic and affectionate” teenager was sent home to a drug den filled with abuse after she was repeatedly suspended from regional NSW school. Now she’s dead.

The heartbreaking story of a 15-year-old dubbed ‘Harmony’ has sparked a fire under the NSW Coroner who criticised the Department of Education, and Communities and Justice (DCJ) after the teen took her own life in the bathroom of a motel room near Taree on January 14, 2020.

Deputy state coroner Harriet Grahame found Harmony died “in circumstances of longstanding neglect, family violence and disengagement from school”, before sinking the boot in with a series of recommendations and findings against the NSW government departments.

The enraged deputy state coroner found the teen should have been identified by DCJ and the Education department as being at “risk of significant harm” and removed from the home.

The mother of one of Harmony’s closest friends, who housed and cared for the girl the year before she died, described her to the court as “a beautiful heart and soul” with “a warm infectious smile”.

Magistrate Harriet Grahame, NSW Deputy State Coroner, found Harmony died in circumstances of “longstanding neglect”. Picture: Tracey Nearmy/Daily Telegraph

Yet her life at home was “frequently chaotic and at times traumatic”, the coroner found.

Despite having self-reported being abused at home, and sleeping rough in a local park for a period, Harmony was suspended from school 12 times for a total of 75 days for “adverse” behaviour, including aggression and harm to herself and others.

Ms Grahame said the teen should have been identified by the Department of Communities and Justice and the Education Department as being at “risk of significant harm” and removed from the home, in a series of recommendations and findings against both departments.

Including unexplained absences, Harmony had missed more than 160 days of school in total before she stopped going entirely six months before her death.

Ms Grahame said Harmony’s final months were “chaotic and lonely”, sleeping on a fold-out sofa in the motel loungeroom with her drug addict mother and her mum’s abusive boyfriend, who the coroner found had assaulted his partner and turned on Harmony when she attempted to report the domestic violence to police.

If this story raises concerns for you, please contact Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800 or kidshelpline.org.au

The family ended up living in a motel room together. Harmony has previously been sleeping rough in a park. Picture: Google Maps

In 2017 she was given her first “long suspension” of 20 days for assaulting a teacher after being pulled up for not having a PE uniform, which blew out to seven and a half weeks due to the term break and the eight days during which Harmony could’ve attended school but did not return.

The coroner found there was “no evidence” that School 3 tried to keep Harmony engaged with home learning activities while she was suspended.

That same year, a teacher described Harmony’s state of neglect as “one of the worst cases she has seen”, yet the girl was reported for uniform infractions 19 times in two years.

After a four day suspension for “continued disobedience” in February 2019, Harmony was hospitalised after overdosing on her father’s medication, and the school made multiple mandatory reports when the girl disclosed violence at home – including one incident in which her mother’s boyfriend allegedly chased the family with an axe — but continued to suspend her anyway.

A Snapchat message “goodnight” from her older brother was likely the last message she saw before she took her own life while her mother and de facto stepfather were out buying cigarettes.

Education Minister Prue Car. Picture: Max Mason-Hubers

“The despair she must have felt and the reasons for (her suicide) must be carefully scrutinised and properly understood,” Ms Grahame said.

“No young person should feel so alone and so totally without hope.”

In her findings, the magistrate took aim at DCJ’s failure on multiple occasions to raise red flags over Harmony’s contact with her mother and stepfather.

“It was completely inappropriate … for Harmony to be living with them. In my view it is perfectly clear that Harmony was at risk of significant harm, and it corresponds that she should have been offered assistance and support by DCJ,” she said.

Ms Grahame determined Harmony’s suspensions contributed to her “dislocation and isolation” before her suicide, calling for an overhaul of school suspensions.

Deputy State Coroner Harriet Grahame said the Department of Communities and Justice should have taken action to help Harmony. Picture: Tracey Nearmy

But NSW Education Minister Prue Car maintained the state’s suspension policy “strikes the right balance”.

In 2023 Ms Car expanded the grounds for suspension and extended the maximum duration at principals’ discretion to 15 days, reversing reforms introduced by the Coalition in 2022.

Ms Car defended her revisions to suspension policies and said “the issue of better out-of-home suspension alternatives is under active consideration”.

“This is a tragic case and my condolences go out to her family and friends. The Department has accepted the coroner’s findings and will respond accordingly,” she said.

“Our schools must be safe and settled environments for all students and staff and we have introduced a revised behaviour policy that strikes the right balance.

“We will consider whether any further changes are needed to protect vulnerable children.”

A spokesman for Ms Car said the suspensions centres are “only one of a range of supports” for kids with behavioural issues, but “other pathways to ensuring students who are suspended have access to education” will also be examined in Department’s response to the inquest.

A Department of Education spokesman said “the Department welcomes the Coroner’s recommendations and is preparing its response to outline the changes that will be made to support the wellbeing of students”.

The department has been given six months to write to the Attorney-General detailing any action being taken to implement the recommendations.

Help is at hand Key national 24/7 crisis support services include: • Lifeline 13 11 14; lifeline.org.au • Suicide Call Back Service; 1300 659 467; suicidecall backservice.org.au • MensLine Australia 1300 789 978; mensline. org.au • beyondblue 1300 224 636; beyondblue.org.au • conversationsmatter. com.au Key national youth support services include: • Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800; kidshelp.com.au • headspace 1800 650 890 www.headspace.org.au • The “Can We talk” campaign also is working with Mindframe; mindframe-media.info

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