13 yrs. Grade 7

The end of grade 6 was very challenging for my child. He was struggling with anxiety and refusing to attend school, and he missed close to 20 days of school in the last couple of months. As a concerned parent, I advocated for my son and took him to his paediatrician (who was not helpful). We did have a wonderful resource teacher that my son connected with and who provided resources and suggestions. In preparing for the change of schools for grade 7, I made an appointment to see the guidance counsellor with my son before school started to 1) ensure that his IEPs were transferred over to the new school (unfortunately they were lost); 2) introduce my child to the guidance counsellor; 3) familiarize my son with the school and his homeroom; and 4) make sure my child knew where he could go and talk to someone if he was struggling. Despite my continuous advocacy for my son, there was minimal support provided. I had to email each teacher individually to provide them with a synopsis of my child’s struggle with anxiety, despite the guidance counsellor’s assuring me that she would make sure the teachers were aware. There were very few accommodations made for school time that my child missed as a result of anxiety and attending an anxiety group through the Manitoba Adolescent Treatment Centre. Compounding my child’s anxiety were my own health struggles which required major surgery. This was a very stressful situation for my child, and even though I informed his teachers and guidance counsellor, there was no acknowledgment or assurance that they would check in on my child while I was ill. I guess my own experience with school refusal was and continues to be met with indifference from the school. Rather than supporting my child, they ignored him. As I’ve mentioned previously, because my child is not a shit disturber, but a very gentle and kind young man, the school has failed to assist him with his struggles so that he can be successful.