Canadian school reverses decision to exclude child with disability from field trip
A BC school is going back on its decision to not allow a child with a disability on a field trip after her mother shared her story publicly.
Leah Burrell said her daughter, Sophia, who has epilepsy and autism, was being “singled out” from a class field trip.
She explained that her 12-year-old daughter requires full support. Currently, the Grade 6 student who attends an elementary school in the Langley School District, located in BC, is supported by two education assistants.
However, last Friday, Burrell said she received an email from Sophia’s school principal that said her daughter would not be able to go to the Cultus Lake Waterpark with her class.
Burrell claimed the principal said the reason was a “WorkSafe issue.” However, she has not received any clarification from the school or school board about what that reason entails.
Burrell said Sophia was upset hearing the news, adding, “She was in tears and couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t be able to go.”
After she received the email about the waterpark, Burrell shared her story with Tamara Taggart, president of Down Syndrome BC and former news broadcaster. Since Taggart shared Sophia’s experience on Twitter, her tweet received over 1,000 likes, hundreds of retweets, and dozens of comments.
đ§”EXCLUSION.
This week some core memories will be made for a grade 6/7 class at a #Langley elementary school. The whole class is going to the waterslides at Cultus Lake. Everyone is going – except for 12yr old Sophia.
1/6 #bced #bcpoli pic.twitter.com/VanXh8TPal— Tamara Taggart (@tamarataggart) June 19, 2023
The school district has since shared a statement with the media saying it’s worked with the school to develop a plan to accommodate additional staff “to ensure all students can attend and have their needs met.”
“All students in grade 6 and grade 7 at West Langley Elementary will be able to attend this field trip on Thursday. The District has communicated this information to the family,” the statement reads.
While Sophia is now able to join her class on the field trip, Burrell is still seeking clarification on what the school’s initial concerns were, how it was resolved, and how the school will be supporting her daughter at the waterpark.
Sophia is described as a happy and fun girl with lots of interests — one of them being waterslides, her mom said.
“She’ll watch videos about waterslides all over the world and wants to go visit them,” Burrell explained. “That’s kind of why the trip was so important to her.”
“She wants to be included,” she added.
Photo of 12-year-old Sophia (Courtesy Leah Burrell)
Second time Sophia’s been excluded, says mother
This is not the first time Sophia has been told she can not attend a field trip.
Until this school year, it’s never been an issue, but Burrell said just a few weeks ago, her daughter was told she would not attend a class trip to the Playland Amusement Park.
However, after following up with the school district, “they changed their minds and said that she could attend, and she did end up going,” Burrell said.
After the PNE field trip, Burrell added the school district said Sophia would be included in all field trips with her class.
“And then a couple of weeks later … I received an email about the waterslide saying she could not attend.”
Daily Hive has contacted the school district to comment on the claims about the PNE field trip and will update this article with a response if received.
“I’m not alone”
Since sharing Sophia’s story, her mother has received countless messages from families across the province and country saying they have had similar experiences.
Knowing other families have experienced the same is “hurtful” and “discouraging,” Burrell said.
“If I can share this story and have several other families from the Langley school district alone reaching out to me going, ‘We’ve been in the same situation’ … then there’s a serious problem,” she told Daily Hive.
Some parents of Sophia’s classmates have reached out to Taggart to say they were appalled learning about how Sophia was excluded and that they wouldn’t send their kids on the field trip in solidarity.
Lots of supportive messages for Sophia, I asked the dad who sent me this note if I could share. âșïž
Both of his daughters were Sophiaâs âbig buddyâ over the years + both are furious. Dad says we must all be united in stopping discrimination + bullying. #bced #bcpoli #SD35 pic.twitter.com/yT7H3MbXCc— Tamara Taggart (@tamarataggart) June 19, 2023
The support was “touching,” Burrell said, but she added, “It’s difficult because I don’t want their children to not enjoy it either. ”
“It was incredibly touching to see that somebody would care enough to take the time to … have these conversations with their kids,” she continued. “To me, these are the conversations that need to be had.”
“They can’t undo what they’ve done”
Burrell remains critical of the Langley School District, saying while it claims to be an inclusive environment, “it’s clearly not.”
While skeptical it will happen, Burrell is hoping the district will formally apologize to her.
“They can’t undo what they’ve done. The damage is done. Yes, she’s going on this field trip, but they’ll never be able to recover from the hurt that they caused us and her. It’s one of those things that you can’t take back.”
The Langley School District added in its statement that it is “committed to ensuring all students have equitable access to learning opportunities, including field trips. The District, together with the school, is continuing to work with staff, the family, and the venue to ensure the field trip will be safe for all students and staff.”
“The District strives to create a safe, inclusive, and positive learning environment for our students. Health and safety are our top priorities. The District is committed to continuing conversations with all of our families,” the statement added.
In a statement from the Ministry of Education and Child Care, it said it recognizes there are children who continue to face barriers in schools but it “values ongoing work … to build more inclusive schools and classrooms.”
“The Ministry continues to work directly with individual school districts to support and offer all students a full educational program. Every studentâs needs are different, and schools and school districts are working hard to ensure proper supports are in place for all students,” the statement added.
“Government is providing an estimated $838 million in additional funding this school year to provide supports and services to students with disabilities and diverse abilities.”
Burrell said she hopes that sharing her daughter’s story sheds light on similar experiences families face across the country.
“We’ve got a long way to go,” she said.