A Waikato intermediate student has been unable to attend school since the beginning of August, and his mother says there seems to be no urgency from the Ministry of Education to help him return to learning.
Shannon Rees said her son, Ricky, was a lovely kid. She described him as a bright, caring boy and like most parents said she loved him for who he was.
He also had been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, autism spectrum disorder, anxiety and depression.
At 13, and still in intermediate in Hamilton, he has been excluded from school.
“He was excluded because of his aggressive behaviour. He can tend to lash out when he is dysregulated and a lot of the incidents he has at school are because no one is really around to see him when he is dysregulated and when that happens it can be quite difficult for him to not only manage himself but also [students] around him at the same time don’t quite understand his needs or see him as basically struggling with his emotions,” Rees said.
She said she was not sure her son realised the seriousness of the situation he was involved in, which led to the exclusion, and did not think he had ill intent.
Because Ricky was under 16, his school must legally find him another school that would enrol him.
Unfortunately, the principal had told Rees that he had asked three other Hamilton schools, and none would take her son. When this occurred, the Ministry of Education was required to step in to help.
Meanwhile, Ricky had not been able to attend school for over six weeks.
The Ministry of Education’s deputy secretary for the central area, Jocelyn Mikaere, said Ricky’s school determined that his behaviour posed a serious risk.
“The school explored support options before making its decision, which included approaching three other schools as required to try and facilitate alternative enrolment,” she said.
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Once the ministry stepped in to help, it said it began working with Rees to identify a pathway back into education.
Rees said her son’s mental health had already declined rapidly since being excluded, as school was a place he relied on for interaction with other children his age.
“My concern is that while the ministry may say Ricky’s ‘return to education’ is progressing, this may only refer to te kura, not to re-engaging him in a mainstream school setting alongside his peers, which is what he truly needs,” she said.
Mikaere said the ministry was exploring school-based options but that te kura could help maintain learning while a longer-term solution was found.
“While te kura is not a permanent placement, it can be a useful bridge to re-engagement, particularly for younger students.”
Rees wanted Ricky to be in a school with other students and felt families were left to manage children with complex needs on their own.
“It often feels like basically if your children don’t fit the box they get excluded or forgotten,” she said.
She wanted urgent action and said the longer Ricky was out of school the harder it would be to successfully get him back into a school environment.
She did not think school had to be such a problem for her son.
“With the right supports around him he can thrive,” she said.
Mikaere said the ministry acknowledged the distress and disruption caused when a young person is excluded from school.
“We recognise that the process has been challenging for the whānau and that concerns were raised about communication. A new ministry advisor has since been appointed to work with the family, and a plan is now in place to support the student’s return to education. Once enrolled in a new school, the student can be referred to learning support for additional support,” she said.
Rees was desperate to get her son an education but felt the system was stacked against her and Ricky.
“Honestly, I don’t know how I still continue,” Rees said.
“It is very, very stressful, it’s very exhausting to manage all of this on my own, especially as a single mother and to juggle all the advocacy, all the paperwork, the phone calls,” she said.
The Ministry of Education said there were around 78,000 enrolled students across the Waikato region, 29 of whom were currently excluded from school.
“Each case is treated with care and urgency to support their re-engagement,” Mikaere said.
rnz.co.nz
