Mother alleges school failed to report daughter’s behavioral changes before her death

The mother of a teenage girl who passed away in 2017 has stated she was not informed of her daughter’s “outbursts” during lessons in the period preceding her death. Megan Evans, aged 14, was discovered deceased at her residence in Milford Haven in February 2017, following claims of social media bullying. On the initial day of Megan’s inquest, her mother, Nicola Harteveld, testified that her daughter’s poor conduct at Milford Haven School was “completely out of character” and that she ought to have been notified. Ms Harteveld discovered this information through messages on Megan’s Snapchat account, noting that Megan was “such a studious and well-behaved girl”. “They knew her behaviour was out of character, it was getting worse, she was verbally abusive to staff. They must have known that something was wrong,” Ms Harteveld stated during the inquest. She further mentioned that the school routinely contacted her regarding Megan’s incorrect uniform and asserted that her daughter was being “harassed” over wearing the wrong trousers. “They found it appropriate to call me nearly every day about her uniform,” yet they never informed her about poor conduct in school, she recounted. Ms Harteveld also stated that Megan had received messages on social media instructing her to kill herself, and that an “I hate Megan Evans” group had been formed, reported to the school, and subsequently removed. Nevertheless, Ms Harteveld discovered additional groups after accessing Megan’s Snapchat and Facebook accounts following her passing. Pembrokeshire council had previously indicated that a system for responding to bullying was operational at the school. Malcolm Duthie, representing the council, mentioned that when Megan’s friends were questioned about whether they thought she was being bullied, “all of them said no”, further suggesting she might have been distressed by a disagreement with another student and worries about her father’s health. Ms Harteveld countered that there were “a number of things that were affecting her”. Mr Duthie also stated that it would be challenging for the school to acquire any proof of bullying since the majority of it occurred on Snapchat. Ms Harteveld characterized the social media platform as the “best friend” of unkind behavior and a “horrific social media tool” due to messages vanishing after 24 hours. Megan was discovered deceased at her family residence in Milford Haven on the evening of 7 February 2017. Ms Harteveld informed the police that she had “no idea why Megan would do this”, noting that they had attended a school meeting that evening concerning a trip to France, and Megan was anticipating a Justin Bieber concert. The inquiry remains ongoing.