Family upset child denied pre-K spot

Dad says he was told no assistant available to support developmentally delayed boy

Chris Steer and his family are frustrated after being told their threeyear-old son — who is physically and developmentally delayed — can’t be part of a pre-kindergarten program in Kindersley.

Steer tried to enrol his son Leslie in the program at Westberry Elementary, which is part of the Sunwest School Division.

He said he was denied because there was no educational assistant to support the youngster.

Although his son’s developmental age is 18 to 24 months, Steer said Leslie doesn’t require full-time attention, as he’s not aggressive or prone to running off.

“His pediatrician in Saskatoon wanted him to go to pre-K to get social skills, because he’s not around a lot of kids,” Steer said, noting he was “shocked” and “upset” by the school division’s decision.

Steer said he reached out to both the division, which serves communities like Biggar, Outlook and Rosetown, and Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Education with his concerns, but has had little success.

Despite his frustration, he’d still like to get Leslie enrolled in the program next fall, noting he wants his son to be “treated like any other kid.”

“It’s just been a very tough go on this whole thing,” Steer said. “It’s very frustrating for me and my wife.”

The Saskatoon StarPhoenix reached out to the Sunwest School Division for a response, but communications officer Roxanne Foursha said she couldn’t comment on the issue due to privacy concerns.

“We do not speak about students, potential students or anything regarding their families,” she said.

A statement from Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Education said the decision on whether to admit a child is in the hands of the school division.

“The ministry will follow up with the school division to better understand the factors that went into the admission decision,” it said.

The statement also said the ministry has had contact with the Steer family and has offered, “information about potential program options available for their child.”

It’s just been a very tough go on this whole thing. It’s very frustrating for me and my wife.