Posted on 04/25/2015 11:08:43 PM PDT by nickcarraway
A 12-year-old Michigan girl who just made it through the biggest fight of her life has been dealt another blow.
In August 2012, Rose McGrath, of Battle Creek, was diagnosed with leukemia.
But last week, her family received a letter from her school that would turn her world upside down.
As CBS affiliate WWMT reports, the letter addressed concerns regarding Rose's attendance and academic performance, and stated that Rose had been dismissed from St. Joseph Middle School.
"I didn't do anything wrong, but they still got rid of me," Rose said.
screen-shot-2015-04-24-at-11-24-21-am.png Rose McGrath WWMT Rose has been with the Battle Creek Area Catholic Schools all her life, but attending school got difficult when she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2012.
"Even though she's now done with her treatment you still have a very long recovery process because you've basically just put two and a half years of poison into your body. You're not recovering overnight," said Rose's mother, Barbara McGrath.
The McGraths say despite all of the obstacles, Rose was on track to pass her core classes.
Now, just shy of the end of the school year, they say she's been pulled from the one place where she felt normal.
"When I'm at home, I'm sick, I don't feel well; no one else does that. But when I'm at school I'm like everyone else," Rose said.
According to the letter from St. Joseph Middle School, Rose was dismissed because she could not meet academic or attendance standards.
Rose attended 32 full days this year.
The letter says the school tried to work with Rose and reduced her workload.
"These were extraordinary circumstances, 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," said Father John Fleckenstein, with Battle Creek Area Catholic Schools.
But the McGraths say the school has failed their child.
"The accommodations which were made were woefully inadequate for a child with such a serious diagnosis," said Rose's father Tom McGrath.
"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 said.
Father Fleckenstein says for privacy reasons, he could not talk about the situation in its entirety.
In the meantime, the McGraths say they have filed a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights, and the family is waiting to hear if any action will be taken.
“Father Fleckenstein says for privacy reasons, he could not talk about the situation in its entirety.”
Coward.
I feel sorry for the girl, having already suffered, but she apparently has missed a great deal of school. Unfortunate that there was not better communication between school and home. She should not have reached this close to the end of the semester without the parents being fully aware of her status. This should not have been a surprise to anyone.
I wish they hadn’t printed the photo of her weeping. Don’t kids get any privacy these days? Don’t they want any?
Tell the school shes an illegal alien...
or a trannie...
Dattle on, Xena!
I missed 87 days of my junior year- my school was very understanding and let me slide and gave me basically an honorary graduation certificate when I finished school- What is wrong with people today?
you knowe, the two lesbians who sued the bakery because they wouldn’t bake them a cake, claimed they suffered ‘emotional distress’ and were rewarded almost $200,000- Yet this opoor girl is in REAL emotional distress, and this school will likely get away with it scott free?
They could at least have waited until summer break.
The school leadership is cold-blooded.
Only attended 32 days this year? And the parents think that complaining to the press and filing a Civil Rights complaint is the answer?
There is more to this story.
Copy. Paste.
In what way was it ever in this girl’s best interests to attend school so sick, barely learn the material, and be passed with bottom of her class grades?
Repeating the grade isn’t being mean. It is better preparing her for college.
How can she repeat the grade when she got kicked out of school?
You don’t know that.
This shines a light on the difference between a public school and a private school.
A PS would have provided a home tutor for this student.
The private school has the right to dismiss anyone, anytime. THE PS is stuck with a/ny child, good/bad or otherwise. Kinda like a marriage .... *in sickness and in health....*
Sounds as if her school tried to work with the situation.
The letter says the school tried to work with Rose and reduced her workload.
**”These were extraordinary circumstances, 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,” said Father John Fleckenstein, with Battle Creek Area Catholic Schools.**
There’s more to this story, than is being reported.
Great suggestions! (post 13)
In addition, there are many online schools which could have been another direction for this family as well as parents could have chosen the homeschool option.
Check out the interview below.
4:59 Minutes
Middle School Expels 12-Year-Old Cancer Survivor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmQ2FWqd4aw
Oh GeronL. Aren’t you the clever one.
She had been in remission since Dec, but it was last week the school said she could not attend school. (from the video on the page)
12-Year-Old Girl Battling Leukemia Kicked Out of School Over ‘Attendance and Academic Concerns.’ But Then the Issue Hit the News…
McGrath was kicked out of St. Joseph Middle School in Battle Creek over ’attendance and academic concerns,” according to a letter the school sent to her parents, which said their daughter had attended 32 of 134 school days this year.
I wonder if the family was paying tuition during her sickness? My high school had a student who we had compete his senior year from his bed due to cancer treatment. We were more than accommodating, doesn’t the bible say something to that effect? He did graduate, but unfortunately passed shortly afterward.
The school made accommodations by reducing her work load; so translated, she still did not meet all the academic standards to pass the courses. I’m praying for her full recovery, and for her to understand that when you don’t meet requirements you don’t get rewarded. The parents had options: hire a private tutor, transfer her to a public school for the year and get a tax-payer funded home bound tutor, etc. If she was too sick to even do this, then she honestly needs to repeat the grade so that she does not struggle throughout the rest of her academic carreer.
Another reason to home school!
Funny how we let our emotions take hold and make snap decisions without thinking. What is the school's responsibility for handling special cases? Do they have to expend time/effort/money on any and all "special needs" that crop up?
I can't see where it is the school's responsibility to keep her on track - she went through a terrible ordeal and it looks like her life is not to be forfeit - perhaps backing up and regrouping and continuing with a couple year delay isn't really such a bad thing. Else, we may as well condone bending all the common sense rules to ensure that minorities get good grades and scholarships for not being able to read or apply themselves to actually earn the grades...oh, wait....
There is more to the story than the tear-jerker, pile on the school story here and some of us are taking the bait - against a Christian school no less.
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