11 yrs. Grade 5

Elementary School

My daughter initially complained of headaches before school – we saw a paediatrician, had her vision and hearing checked. No one indicated anxiety was a possible cause, and it was only a random internet search that tuned me in to the topic of school refusal. That allowed me to speak more openly with our daughter regarding her feelings about school. I had to – and was thankfully able to – change my work schedule to walk my child to class right at starting bell, as the pre-school chaos was very overwhelming for her. Having to attend while so anxious and…

13 yrs. Grade 7

Elementary School

My daughter was diagnosed with autism, ADHD, and anxiety at age 7. Despite years of trying, my (very high-functioning) daughter received her first IEP at the age of 11. (She is currently 13.) It was too little too late. At this point, she had endured years of bullying and numerous outbursts from teachers (in frustration to her panic attacks and crying), so did not feel safe in class. Between March 2017 and February 2019, my daughter missed over 180 days of school. We moved her to a new school in November 2018 where she got a fantastic plan, which was…

14 yrs. Grade 8

Elementary School

Teachers are trying to teach at all levels, and they are overwhelmed. Less mature students are being moved along in the education system and are in grades that aren’t academically fitting for them. They are creating chaos and upset in a setting that is above their social and academic level. I believe if children aren’t academically ready for a certain grade, they need to be held back, as it’s now creating stress on them and on those that are academically ready for these classes.

11 yrs. Grade 6

Elementary School

My son has struggled since junior kindergarten. He has slipped through and is not getting a proper education. He has been suspended 4 times this year. He just wants to be in school and learn. They are not following the Individualized Education Plan and safety plan and he suffers. I feel bullied and intimidated by the school system.

9 yrs. Grade 3

Elementary School

My child was always anxious about school. He has a learning difference. When he couldn’t do things, he attracted attention by acting silly. He started getting into trouble; this made him more anxious. There was downward spiral. The school did not recognize his learning disability. They thought he was purposefully choosing not to do his work. The more they pushed for compliance, the more anxious he became. He started experiencing physical symptoms. He would willingly go to school each day, but when he got there, he was unable to do what they asked, so they sent him home. We went…

13 yrs. Grade 7

Elementary School

My son would have anxiety attacks starting in grade 3 and self-harmed in these moments at school. He would be sent to the office to sit in a noisy office till the end of school. He would come home red-faced and refused to talk about it. He would make himself sick and beg me to be homeschooled. His teachers only poked the bear when he was stressed out. Only in grade 6 did we finally switch schools, and this new one got all the tests and help in less than a year. With the new school, we had rides to…

10 yrs. Grade 5

Elementary School

This is the second time we have experienced school refusal due to anxiety, first in kindergarten and now in grade 5. (We left public school in kindergarten and were forced to move into distributed learning.) Thank god they have that in BC, so we could do part-time homeschool and attend part-time classes at a local brick-and-mortar school. The teacher and school refused to allow us to attend KINDERGARTEN on a part-time basis. We were pressured into full-time and told that there was something wrong with us; the teacher actually said, “Must be nice to be able to come and pick…

8 yrs. Grade 3

Elementary School

Our son had to literally be “peeled” off me every morning and practically dragged into the school kicking and screaming. It was awful for both my son and me. The three teachers who had to drag him in every morning would kind of chuckle as if it was funny. It became a routine…”Oh, here comes Devon”…ready, set, grab, and peel. We talked to his teacher, the school counsellor, and his family doctor, and they all acted as if it was “normal” and said that he’d simply grow out of it. It was far from normal. They also didn’t see the…

10 yrs. Grade 5

Elementary School

A seven-year-old with severe ADHD fitting the classic explosive child behaviours with some defiance and work refusal witnesses his closest relative, his grandmother, die while being resuscitated; mother works in the school. He is returned to school after one week of grieving, to “keep a normal routine”, as kids just bounce back through these things. The first day of mother’s return to work, he witnesses an outpouring of sympathy towards mom. None for him. The lockdown drill happens. How would you support him?