We all want to give our children a good education, but one Jacksonville mother claims some administrators with the highly-esteemed Stanton College Preparatory School are discriminating against her sick son. She has called for an internal district investigation and filed a federal civil rights disability discrimination complaint to prove her point and help her son excel in the exclusive school.
The 17-year-old Stanton student suffers from a cyclic vomiting condition, migraines and an anxiety disorder, and he takes a variety of medications. This case illustrates one of the conflicts that might occur when students suffering from chronic illnesses attempt to attend acclaimed high schools, which try to maintain stringent academic schedules.
The boy and his mother claim several administrators have harassed the boy and refused certain disability accommodations that might help him perform better in school. A specific example involves a flickering light in one of the 17-year-old’s classrooms that contributed to his nausea and migraines. According to the mother, school officials refused to replace the lights or switch him to a different class; instead, they advised him to wear dark glasses or a visor while in the classroom.
In written disability discrimination claims, the 17-year-old and his mother allege he was never given a fair chance to excel at Stanton. They also claim the school threatened the boy with truancy charges and told him he “does not belong at Stanton,” according to one of the family’s attorneys. Officials from Stanton declined to comment on the story, but some of the documents sent to the family say they don’t think the boy can make up missing work, even with extra assistance.
In this country, we enjoy the right to equal educational opportunities for all, including those with disabilities. When a school denies, interferes with or prevents someone from participating in this fundamental right, families have legal options for seeking satisfaction, usually under the guidance of a disability discrimination claims lawyer.
Source: Jacksonville.com, “Jacksonville mother alleges disability discrimination against sick son by Stanton administrators” Denise Smith Amos, May. 10, 2014
