Emely (12) Death: Parents Demand Justice After Police Close Bullying Case

Emely (12) died: The unimaginable happened

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To make a long story short

• The parents of Emely (12), who took her own life after extensive bullying, reported the school and the municipality for not having done enough to stop the bullying.
• Now the police have dropped the case, which experts criticize.
• The parents believe that the school’s activity plans were just “nice words”.
• They are now considering appealing against the police closure.

Sea view

The principal, school and municipality were reported by Emely’s parents for not having done enough to stop the bullying of Emely. The police have now dropped the case. Experts are critical of the closure.

The principal at Emely’s former school, Dysjaland, and the municipal manager/municipal director in Sola municipality no longer have a police case pending. However, they do not want to comment on the matter until after the weekend.

“No criminal offense is considered proven,” writes Sør-Vest police district in a letter to Emely’s parents, Monica and Bengt Frantzen.

– First of all, we are shocked by the police’s ability to handle such a serious case. The fact that they don’t think about what Emely has experienced over several years of bullying and exclusion makes us sad and disappointed, say Monica and Bengt Frantzen in a comment on the closure.

In the termination letter from the police, it appears that the police have exclusively assessed whether the school has breached the activity obligation in the Education Act (§ 9A-4).

– The report concerned Section 9 A of the Education Act, and we are reacting to the fact that the police have only considered a small part of this section, namely the obligation to be active (Section 9A-4). They do not take into account how difficult it was for Emely (Section 9A-2 states that pupils have a right to be safe and well) and the school’s duty to work for zero tolerance against bullying (Section 9A-3), the parents emphasize.

The parents demand a complete turnaround

The two believe it is well documented that Emely was not safe and well. They also believe that the school’s activity plans were just “nice words”, and say:

– Why else would we fight for four years for her to experience what she finally got to experience at a new school, namely inclusion and facilitation that Emely so badly needed and deserved!

The parents continue:

– Dropping Emely’s case cannot be worthy of a democratic society. Now our elected representatives must take action. Where is the Ministry of Justice when it is obvious that the Education Act is not working? Why are 96 percent of reported bullying cases dropped?

Monica and Bengt Frantzen, in consultation with their lawyer, will decide whether to appeal the police’s arrest.

DISAPPOINTED AND SORRY: Mum Monika Frantzen and dad Bengt are both disappointed and sad about the police closing the Emely case. They believe it shows that the measures to end bullying are not working. Photo: Øistein Norum Monsen / Dagbladet. view more

Police attorney Gina Øystese in the Sør-Vest police district says for her part that criminal liability is linked to the activity obligation (§9A-4), but not to the other mentioned parts of the law.

– The purpose of an investigation is to uncover criminal circumstances, and there is therefore no reason to investigate against § 9A-2 and § 9A-3 of the Education Act, states Øystese.

Dagbladet has previously documented that 96 per cent of all reported bullying cases are handed over to the police, some of them without even being assessed.

96 percent of bullying cases are dropped

The police have conducted interviews and studied documents in the Emely case, but therefore conclude that the duty of activity has not been breached, and refer to the State Administrator’s supervision. The inspection concluded that the school had fulfilled its activity obligation. A total of 13 activity plans were made for Emely.

Whether the activity plans actually worked was not questioned, either by the police or the state administrator. There is a professional dispute as to whether the duty to act has been fulfilled when the situation does not improve for the person who has been bullied. Nor was the use of educational-psychological services (PPT) assessed.

– Tragic outcome

The parents receive support from experts:

– This shows that the tragic outcome of the case, Emely’s death, is not considered in the case. It is obvious that the activity plans did not work as intended. The bullying did not stop. I have read the reports. One could end up in a situation where the school was “judged” for not having made activity plans, while the outcome of the case was that Emely mastered everyday school life.

NOT STOPPED: – This shows that the tragic outcome of the case, Emely’s death, is not considered in the case. It is obvious that the activity plans did not work, the bullying did not stop. Photo: Hans Arne Vedlog / Dagbladet Show more

– It is absurd, says pedagogy professor Thomas Nordahl at Høyskolen i Innlandet. He believes Norway has a “naive belief” that laws and regulations should work. The case shows that the measures from 2017, to put an end to bullying, did not work, Nordahl believes.

He emphasizes that the “rule management” of the school does not work, and believes that much more emphasis is placed on rules and documentation than what actually works in interpersonal relationships.

He points out that the Emely case stands in stark contrast to the conclusion about the twins Mina and Milla who died in the care of the child protection agency.

– In that case, the tragic outcome was precisely the reason for criticism that they had not received the help they were entitled to, he says.

– Weakens legal certainty

Professor of special pedagogy, Marie-Lisbet Amundsen at the University of South-Eastern Norway, believes the police do not have a good enough knowledge of the Education Act.

– Failure at all levels

– That is why today we have several examples of State Administrators’ conclusions being emphasized in such cases, she says. And further:

– It is worrying when the State Administrator in Rogaland unilaterally emphasizes the school’s activity obligation when it is a question of system failure at all levels.

About the State Administrator’s conclusion being emphasized, police attorney Gina Øystese says:

– The police are on their own track and have launched an extensive investigation, which forms the basis for the closure. It is nevertheless natural for the police to withdraw the state administrator’s inspection report, as they have carried out their investigations against the same provisions in the Education Act.

REQUIRES KNOWLEDGE: The police must look at more than the duty of activity, says professor of special pedagogy, Marie-Lisbet Amundsen. Photo: Private Show more

Otherwise, Amundsen comments on the closure as follows:

– Section 9 A of the Education Act is about more than the school’s duty to be active, and there is therefore reason to question why the suspension does not refer to either Section 9A-2 “the child’s right to a safe and good school environment” or Section 9A-3 where points out that there must be “zero tolerance towards bullying and harassment”.

– Unclear guidelines

Klara Øverland, psychologist specialist and associate professor at the Learning Environment Center (NORCE) in Stavanger, says:

– When so many bullying cases are filed with the police, this may indicate that there are unclear guidelines, roles and measures relating to bullying. This also makes it difficult to hold someone accountable and to bring about better measures. It is therefore important to evaluate the cases that have been dropped – what was missing in these cases, what needs to be improved?

UNCLEAR: – When so many bullying cases are dismissed by the police, this may indicate that there are unclear guidelines, roles and measures, says bullying expert Klara Øverland. Photo: Nina Hansen / Dagbladet Show more

Øverland continues:

– I hope that the Emely case raises measures against bullying up the politicians’ priority list – what if this happened to your child? It is difficult to understand the pain Emily and the family have been through, but I hope that the parents’ openness can lead to better evaluation, measures and expertise in bullying.

For Øverland, the police’s arrest was “unfortunately not unexpected”.

The police dropped the report the same day

– What happened to Emily shows that there is a great need for good measures and closer follow-up of children who are bullied and children who bully. It is both the state and the schools’ responsibility, emphasizes Øverland.

Do you have any tips or information on this matter?

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Difficult to read about bullying?

There are many people who can help. Talk to someone.

On Helsenorge.no you will find an overview of telephone numbers and chat services for children and young people. Red Cross has both a chat and a helpline (800 333 21), it also has Mental health (116 123). Blue Cross has its own Talk about bullying chat, same has Mental Health Youth. The services are free and you can remain anonymous.

Your school is obliged to help you if you experience bullying. Tell your contact teacher or another adult at school. All municipalities are required to have a school health service where you must be able to get help from a health nurse or other health workers.

On Elevombudene.no you will find an overview of the bullying ombudsmen in the various counties, they can also help you.

If there is an acute crisis, call 113.

2024-02-24 16:48:50


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