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School Directs Bullies to Delete Messages About Tragic Schoolgirl’s Loss

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The father of Mia Janin, a schoolgirl who tragically took her own life due to relentless bullying on social media, has claimed that her school advised students to ‘delete the messages’ during a police investigation into her death.

Mia Janin, a 14-year-old student at the Jewish Free School (JFS) in Harrow, north , was found dead at her home in March 2021 after enduring bullying both online and at school. The coroner’s court concluded that she had committed suicide as a result of bullying by some male peers during her formative years.

Mariano, Mia’s father, who moved from Argentina to Britain in 2001 with his wife Marisa, revealed that the school conducted an assembly where students were instructed to erase the incriminating messages. While reports in 2022 indicated that the school directed specific boys to delete messages, the school denied these allegations during the inquiry.

Young Mia Janin, 14, was found dead at home in Harrow, north London , in March 2021 after being bullied by classmates both online and at the Jewish Free School (JFS), where she was a Year 10 student

Speaking to BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, her father Mariano claimed the school had organised an assembly to tell the schoolchildren to delete the messages

In 2022, it was reported that the school (pictured) pulled some of the boys in the Snapchat group aside and told them to delete it; it denied this in a statement to the inquest

According to , Mariano admitted his lack of knowledge about the online world and shared that Mia had predicted severe bullying based on a screenshot identifying her tormentors. He criticized the school’s decision to tell students to delete messages instead of cooperating with the police investigation, highlighting the potential evidentiary value of the messages on the students’ phones.

Furthermore, it was revealed that the Metropolitan Police had misplaced Mia’s phone for an extended period but is now assisting in its return to the family. The school maintained that the coroner’s conclusions did not accurately represent the current school environment.

During the inquest at Barnet Coroner’s Court, distressing details emerged about Mia’s ordeal, including being cruelly mocked in a Snapchat group by 60 boys after posting a defiant video on TikTok standing up to her bullies.

The inquest into Mia’s death, held at Barnet Coroner’s Court, heard she had been mocked viciously in a 60-boy Snapchat group after posting a video on TikTok in which she defiantly told her oppressors to leave her alone

Mia, who had ambitions to become a doctor or an architect, had struggled to integrate with others at the school, and had been happier in lockdown when she was learning remotely

Two handwritten notes were found on her bed written on pages ripped from her diary, which was also found in the bedroom

Mia, who had aspirations of pursuing a career in medicine or architecture, reportedly faced challenges integrating with her peers at school and found comfort in remote learning during lockdown. Upon her return to school after lockdown, she expressed a desire to be homeschooled for the remainder of the year.

Sadly, Mia’s parents discovered her lifeless body in her bedroom the morning after she sent a voice note to a friend, mentally preparing herself for further bullying. Two handwritten notes addressed to her family and a close friend were found alongside her diary in her room.

One of the notes expressed her love for her family and her belief that her decision to end her life was the right choice for her, conveying a sense of detachment from life on Earth.

The inquest revealed that despite denials from JFS officials regarding the presence of bullying within the school, Mia and her friends faced harassment both on school grounds and in public, with tormentors labeling their group as the ‘suicide squad’.

Despite this, the hearing was told Mia and her friends were bullied at school, in the street and on the bus, and struck with footballs while boys called her names

The Jewish Free School says it has made changes since Mia’s death

Bosses at JFS were said to be ‘in denial’ about bullying taking place within its corridors, the inquest was told but the coroner accepted evidence saying  it hadn’t been aware

During the inquest, Mr Janin described Mia ‘fantastic… she was very bubbly, good sense of humour, she was beautiful, she was very kind, very creative.’

Following Mia’s tragic death, Ofsted inspectors deemed the school’s safeguarding measures ‘inadequate’, citing instances of sexual bullying via social media. The school’s former headteacher, Rachel Fink, subsequently stepped down from her position.

In his testimony at the inquest, Mariano fondly described Mia as a vibrant, humorous, beautiful, and kind individual, stressing the importance of schools instilling values of respect alongside academic teachings.

By Author LiveLife

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