Nov 29, 2024, Global News (Surrey, BC): Mother pulls daughters from Surrey school over student’s alleged violent outbursts
Parents of children at a Surrey elementary school are concerned about escalating violence they claim is being displayed by a Grade 1 student with special needs.
Jessica Rahman told Global News she is keeping her five-year-old twin daughters home from Kindergarten because she fears their school is currently unsafe for them to attend.
“I refuse to send my children into this area where this child is,” Rahman, a Don Christian Elementary parent, said Friday.
“Our five-year-old daughter has been punched and kicked in the stomach.”
A Social Development (SD) Program is integrated within Cloverdale’s Don Christian Elementary to meet the learning needs of students requiring intensive behavioural intervention, or experiencing serious mental illness.
Rahman said a six-year-old boy receiving the additional support has been exhibiting violence when he is without adult supervision. . . .
Parents, including Amanda Germyn, say they have a deep empathy for everyone involved, including the child’s parents, but that the school district has so far been unable to stop the ongoing acts of aggression.
“I want this child and every child to be able to be at school, but right now, it feels like safety is being prioritized below inclusion,” Germyn said Friday.
“And I don’t think it should come at the cost of every other student at the school.”
Surrey-Cloverdale BC Conservative MLA Elenore Sturko said parents “shouldn’t have to choose between inclusion and safety.”
Sturko said support for children with complex needs is underfunded across the province and she’s reached out to Surrey Schools, Don Christian Elementary’s principal, and B.C. Education Minister Lisa Beare. . . .
Comments