A 12-year-old girl from Battle Creek, Michigan was humiliated when she received a letter from St. Joseph’s Middle School informing her that she had been dismissed. The school’s reason for kicking her out is absolutely infuriating.
Rose McGrath was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in 2012. She has been fighting for her life. After beating cancer, Rose has been kicked out of her Catholic school for taking too many days off for her treatment.
Rose was informed by St Joseph’s Middle School that she had been dismissed due to her low attendance record and poor academic performance. It’s quite a shame that the school rewarded this young cancer survivor with the humiliation of being kicked out of school, solely because she was busy fighting for her life.
“These were extraordinary circumstances,” explained Father John Fleckenstein of Battle Creek Area Catholic Schools. “But so many accommodations were made we felt eventually it became a point where we really had to help Rose, by being able to make sure that she was getting the assistance that she needed and to learn.”
Rose doesn’t understand why her school would kick her out. “’I didn’t do anything wrong, but they still got rid of me,” she explained, tearfully.
Her mother, Barbara McGrath, is heartbroken and infuriated with the school’s decision regarding her daughter’s admission. “It’s not like she’s out at the mall having fun, she’s in her bed, sick with nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain. She’s not having fun, she’s sick. She’d be at school if she could,” Barbara admitted.
Due to Rose’s situation, she was only able to attend her classes 32 days out of the school year. “When I’m at home, I’m sick, I don’t feel well; no one else does that,” Rose explained. “But when I’m at school I’m like everyone else.”
With circumstances like Rose’s, there is no reason that the school can’t make other accommodations rather than simply kicking the child out of school. This young girl just faced the fight of her life and deserves the opportunity to heal and experience a little bit of normalcy. She’s earned that.
(h/t: Mirror, Image Source: Daily Mail)