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Disabled Student Field Trip Dispute Save Email Print
Posted: 6:18 PM May 16, 2008
Last Updated: 6:28 PM May 16, 2008
Reporter: Jeff Morrow
Email Address: jeff.morrow@nbc11news.com

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One family is upset with the way School District 51 has handled an upcoming field trip for their disabled son.

The field trip to Denver is for special ed children from Mount Garfield Middle. The trip has been planned for three months now.

Deon is confined to a wheelchair which brought up transportation issues for the school. Deon is the only student in a wheelchair in his class. It takes two people to lift Deon in and out of his wheelchair.

Deon's mother Natasha thought the transportion issues had been fixed two months ago. The school at that point told Natasha and Deon he would be able to go to Denver.

Natasha says on Thursday the school told her Deon was too heavy for field trip adults to lift him. She says the school sited a 100 hundred pound lift policy. But Deon had just recently visited the doctor. Natasha told school officials he only weighed 85 pounds. She contacted District 51 officials and they told her the problem would be resolved and Deon would get to go.

Then Friday Morning Natasha says officials with Mount Garfield told her that Deon would not get to go on the trip to Denver because the bus they were taking was not equipped with a ramp.

The school offered to pay for Natasha to go on the trip, but she has additional children in school. Natasha says this is a trip her son has been looking forward too since he heard about it in class.

District 51 officials have now worked out a way to make sure Deon gets to go on the field trip to Denver. Deon will travel seperately in a van with two additional staff members. He will participate in all the activities his classmates will attend.

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Posted by: Drew Location: Dallas, TX on May 16, 2008 at 11:48 PM
Moving story... you would think that the school district would have all their policies and procedures in order and ready to go. Hopefully the family is able to go and enjoy the occasion.

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