Quinn Clancy should be at school today, instead of playing soccer with his dad at his home, near Elmwood. “Quinn definitely should be at school today. Instead, he watched his two brothers walk away on him because there was no safety plan put in place,” said Quinn’s mom, Cassie Wheeler. Quinn has cerebral palsy, and uses a walker to get around. He’s always had a first floor classroom at Walkerton District Community School, until this year, when his parents say they were informed on Aug. 31, that Quinn’s Grade 5 classroom would be on the second floor, raising a whole host of questions and complications. “What happens if the elevator breaks? What happens if there’s a fire? Would I have friends in that area with me?” said Quinn. “Quinn wants to know is he is riding the elevator alone? Is an Educational Assistant going to be with him? Is he able to bring a peer with him? What happens if the elevator simply breaks down that day? How is he going to get out for recess? How is he going to exit during an emergency, if there’s a fire? We’ve asked for a written plan. Quinn is 10. He deserves to have the comfort and the confidence that he is safe in his school building, and we’re not being given that, despite begging for it,” said Wheeler. Quinn and his family say this the latest in a long line of accessibility battles they’ve had with his school, including last year, when his walker was broken at school, and wasn’t fixed, so he spent the school’s Accessibility and Inclusion Week at home. “We’ve been dealing with stuff constantly. There’s parking issues like safe drop off issues, and safe pickup issues. It seems like we’re always in a fight to just keep our child safe, you know? And in this day and age, when people talk about inclusion and mental health and everything, it seems like that’s all people do is, just talk about it,” said Quinn’s dad, Robert Clancy. The school board says they have invited the Clancy’s to a collaborative meeting at the school, to review and provide feedback on Quinn’s safety plan. “It is our priority in the Bluewater District School Board to ensure that every student feels safe, welcome, included, and supported at school. In recognizing that every student is unique and needs vary across our system, our experienced school and system teams are committed and well accustomed to working closely with families to make sure that individualized plans are in place for those requiring specialized support,” said the Bluewater District School Board in a statement. “Quinn will not be attending school until we have been given, and are informed of a clearly written plan that indicates how Quinn will safely and successfully exit and enter the building, under any situation where the elevator is out of service. That, to me, is not ludicrous to ask for. It’s pretty black and white, and I think any parent in our spot would be doing the same thing,” said Wheeler. While he may be enjoying a morning playing soccer with his dad, Quinn says he’d likely rather be doing that with his friends at school. School is important to him. “So important,” he said. “All we’ve been simply asking for is a written understanding of how our son is going to attend school, and how safe it’s going to be for him. God forbid an emergency happens, and he has to evacuate the building,” said Robert, Quinn’s dad.
