School ‘over the top’ in denying trip
Boy’s safety and needs behind a decision to refuse class outing
AWhangārei Boys’ High School mother is frustrated her son was excluded from an upcoming trip and believes the school could have done more to help him attend.
However, principal Karen Smith has said the fact that the risk was potentially life-threatening left the school with no choice.
The student’s mother contacted the Advocate with concerns the school was being “over the top” when it came to her son’s disability.
A permission slip was brought home early last week for a trip to Taiharuru at Whangārei Heads on Wednesday.
There, students will collect data from a variety of species.
She explained the area the class plans to visit is rocky and wet.
Her son has undergone a spinal fusion, so a fall in such conditions could be catastrophic.
Initial contact with the school involved a risk assessment form where she decided to “err on the side of caution” and ask for an “extra pair of eyes” as she would be away for work.
A teacher said they may be able to provide a staff member to help but they would have to check first.
However as the request moved through the “chain of command”, the school refused her request.
“They said ‘We don’t have the staff’ and I said ‘Well, how is that (her son’s) and my problem?’”
However, Smith said that was not why he was excluded.
“We looked at the option of having another adult on the trip with him but that did not reduce the risk,” she said.
“Having gone through the risk assessment and communicated with the parent of the student involved, we made the decision that we could not mitigate the risks sufficiently for this individual student.”
She said a safety plan which involved consultation with the parents had brought them to that conclusion.
“If we don’t then consider that in our planning, we might as well not have it,” Smith said.
The mother said she felt the school had a duty to provide for her son’s needs and ensure he experienced every opportunity, where possible.
She said her son had been looking forward to the outing and it would be the first he had gone on as a student at Whangārei Boys’ High School.
She felt that after the Abbey Caves tragedy last year, the school was being “over the top” when it came to her son’s safety.
“I think it’s great that they’ve pulled their socks up, but I think they’ve gone over the top,” she said.
“I said (to the school) that it was unfair. I said ‘You’re stopping him from going on a trip with his mates, where he can have fun’.”
However, Smith said the school believed it was “extremely important” to give students experiences outside the classroom where possible.
“We endeavour to go to every effort to make those experiences available to all students,” she said.
The mother said the trip was an
opportunity for her son to continue “unlayering a lot of bubble wrap” which had been occurring over the last few years.
Simply having a person there to point out risks would mean the school had done their job, she said.
“If something were to happen and a team member had said to (her son) ‘Don’t do that’ and he does it, that’s on (his) head,” she said.
“The school’s done their bit.” But Smith stood firm in the decision.
“When we took into consideration the terrain and the risk for this student, we made the decision that it would not be in his best interests to attend this trip.
“Where students have high physical needs, it is just sometimes not possible to accommodate those needs.”
All data from the trip would be recorded so that he was not impacted academically, Smith said.
What does the Ministry of Education say?
Education Outdoor New Zealand provides advice and guidance to schools and kura about planning and assessment for Education Outdoor New Zealand (EONZ) activities on behalf of the Ministry of Education.
Ministry of Education acting north leader Leisa Maddix said EONZ “strongly encourages inclusive practices in Education Outside The Classroom (EOTC) activities for all students”.
However, Maddix said it is the responsibility of the school to provide adequate supervision, and the school’s decision to exclude a student if they believe that student will not be safe.
All schools are responsible for ensuring their EOTC activities are carried out safely by referring to a risk assessment form and how schools manage activities will vary, Maddix said.
This includes which people run and support EOTC activities, such as provisionally registered teachers, support staff, whānau and senior student leaders.
Maddix said EONZ is currently working with Recreation Aotearoa and Sport NZ to produce a Good Practice Guide for Disability in Outdoor Education as one way to support schools in that area.
A full copy of Whangārei Boys’ High School Standard Operating Procedures can be found on the school website.