'They fail special needs students': B.C. mom speaks out after son excluded from field trip

While the rest of his kindergarten class was enjoying a field trip at a bowling alley, five-year-old Luca sat in an empty classroom with his educational assistant. His mom says the school decided his disability would make it too difficult to include him and did so without even telling her.

Andrea MacDonald lives in Nanaimo. Her son Luca is non-verbal and has autism and a global developmental delay. She and Luca's dad considered sending him to a school for children with special needs, but opted for public school because they wanted him to have the experience of socializing and learning alongside neurotypical kids.

"He's a pretty happy little guy. He lives in his own little world most of the time," she says.

"All we ever wanted (was for) him to be included and not be bullied and not be excluded and it doesn’t seem like that has happened this year … That was our fear about going to school, was him being excluded and rejected."

Late last month, when MacDonald was dropping Luca off, she learned of the class trip for the first time. She says she was never notified that it was being planned, nor was she approached about any concerns about how or whether to include her son.

"It was sort of heartbreaking watching him go into an empty classroom," she tells CTV News, adding that she was relieved the class had already left by the time she dropped her son off.

"But him watching his entire class go onto a school bus and drive away without him – when the bus is his favourite thing – that would have been even more heartbreaking."

DISTRICT POLICY ON INCLUSION

The Nanaimo-Ladysmith school district has a policy on field trips, saying they must be inclusive and spelling out how to accommodate kids like Luca.

"It is expected that all students will participate on field trips regardless of visible and invisible diversities," it reads.

"A plan must be in place to support students who have special needs and/or behavioural challenges who may require specific safety considerations."

Further, it says the decision for a child not to go on a field trip must be made "in consultation with the parent/guardian."

MacDonald describes her reaction to her son's exclusion as one of "utter shock." And while she says it was painful to see her child excluded, she says what upsets her most is the thought that other kids and families might be experiencing the same thing. So, she worked with an advocate from Inclusion BC and wrote a letter to the district superintendent and followed up with the school principal. 

"With regards to field trips, I regret we did not discuss the bowling field trip in advance," the principal wrote in an email that MacDonald provided to CTV News.

It goes on to say that a family member will need to accompany Luca on future trips because the school staff can not "guarantee his safety."

MacDonald says she wishes this option would have been offered or explored before the last trip. While efforts are being made to include Luca in upcoming field trips, "it kind of still doesn't make up for what was done," she adds.

The district superintendent says while he can’t comment on this specific incident, efforts remain ongoing to support Luca and his family and to foster inclusion.

"The district is committed to the inclusion of all students in the safest and most supportive learning environment possible," said a statement provided to CTV News by Scott Saywell.

"We can assert that the district has been in constant communication with this parent at both the school and district level ensuring a healthy, safe and inclusive learning environment for all."

'HE COULD HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL ON THAT TRIP'

Luca did, however, get to go bowling. His family took him that weekend.

"We were like, 'Well let's prove to the school that he can go bowling, and he could have been successful on that trip,'" MacDonald says.

"He had a blast. It was fun to take him to do that for the first time to see how he'd do."

@ivfmommy First time going bowling #childoftiktok #bowling #brechinlanes #firstitme #hedidamazing #autism #autismawareness #autismacceptance #inclusionmatters #vancouverisland #includeme #acceptme ♬ Love You So - The King Khan & BBQ Show

Since posting a video of Luca bowling – with a description of what happened at the school – to TikTok, MacDonald says she's been contacted by a number of families sharing similar experiences. While she's heartened by the response and determined to speak out about what her son experienced, she says she's not likely to keep him in his current school.

"We told ourselves that we were going to give the school district a year or two to show us what they could do before we enrolled him in a special needs school," she says.

"But the school system has already shown us how they fail special needs children."