A Nanaimo family is seeking financial aid to keep their 8-year-old son, Luca, as involved as possible in school activities and say the school district is excluding him unfairly.
Luca’s mother, Andrea Macdonald says that she is tired of remaining silent, as many families like hers face similar obstacles within the education system.
Her son has level-three autism, is non-verbal and faces additional challenges with anxiety, ADHD as well as epilepsy.
Because his needs are high, she says that his education is being impeded by the Nanaimo School District’s (SD68) lack of resources and support.
Luca attends the Georgia Avenue Community School in the Life Skills program, which is meant for kids with special needs, but was recently denied attendance until further notice.
“This has not only impacted his well-being but also placed an overwhelming financial strain on our family,” Andrea told Victoria Buzz.
“Luca had made strong connections with the staff and peers in the Life Skills program, which had provided the structure and routine he needs.”
Andrea says the Life Skills program was a lifeline for Luca and her family after experiencing difficulties with the catchment school he attended in kindergarten and Grade 1.
However, because Luca has been struggling more with his mental health, the district’s inclusion team has placed him on a “pause,” preventing him from attending school daily, with no clear return date.
“In his four years within [SD68], Luca has faced a series of heartbreaking events: from being excluded from a field trip to suffering a broken arm, and even getting trapped in an elevator at another school,” Andrea said.
“Now, he’s being denied the opportunity to attend school altogether. How can we, as a community, accept this,” she asked.
Andrea says that while SD68 espouses values such as inclusion, justice, diversity and equity, these principles are not being applied to Luca’s situation.
“He is being excluded, and his unique needs are not being honored,” stated Andrea.
“Despite his behavioral challenges, Luca is a kind, caring child whose smile can light up any room. He deserves the same opportunity to attend school as his peers.”
Andrea says that because of the way government funding works for children like her son, the school district receives funds on behalf of Luca and her family is unable to access additional funding to provide daily care and learning for him.
Because of this, the Macdonalds must pay out-of-pocket for a trained and experienced caregiver while they are at work.
Andrea says this is unsustainable and without additional support she fears she will be unable to continue to afford the one-on-one care he needs.
Recently, Luca has been permitted by SD68 to attend school for just two days per week on swim days, but only until 10:45 a.m.
He has the option to attend a third day, but Andrea’s family must pay out-of-pocket for his transportation arrangements in order for him to attend.
“While we understand the school is doing the best it can with the resources available, the financial burden on our family is too much to bear,” said Andrea.
“This situation is not unique to Luca; it affects many families in the district and across the province.”
Ultimately, Andrea wants to know when the government will take action to better support children with complex needs like her son.
Andrea says that Luca’s weekly costs add up to around $1,050 per week, which has been putting a significant financial strain on the family.
To mitigate these costs, Andrea has created a GoFundMe online fundraiser to help her family with the costs of Luca’s care.
As of this publication, the GoFundMe has garnered $1,410 of its $3,000 goal.
“More than anything, we just want Luca to be able to attend school, to interact with his peers, and to continue his progress with the amazing school staff who have supported him,” said Andrea.
SD68’s position
SD68 told Victoria Buzz that for privacy reasons, they can’t address specifics about students, but as a school district, they approach each situation with the utmost compassion.
They added that their goal is to have each child return to an educational environment as soon as feasibly possible.
“For complex situations, additional time away from an educational environment may be required to develop adequate and effective supports, action plans and strategies for the student to return to an appropriate educational environment safely and effectively,” said an SD68 spokesperson in a statement.
According to the School District, some of the plans that need to be in place with complex situations include an individual education plan for the student, employee safety plans as well as a risk assessment and student regulation plan.
To create these plans, SD68 works with partners through an Integrated Case Management Process. These partners include the Ministry of Education and Child Care, the Ministry of Children and Family Development and health and mental health support providers.
The District added that while these supports and plans are being developed, they also work to provide support for families in order to continue access educational programming and opportunities while their child is away from their school’s learning environment.
According to SD68, a pause in educational programming is something that occurs when they need to work through additional safety planning resulting from a very significant event. This type of event can include something behavioural, an injury to others, safety or damage to property.
