10 Nov 2022

Human Rights Commission complaint over school attendance

From Morning Report, 7:35 am on 10 November 2022

A family has complained to the Human Rights Commission because their local school is refusing to let their five-year-old autistic son attend.

The McDonald family says Woodville School, in the Tararua District, has told them their boy cannot return until it has built a fence.

They say the school told them the boy twice ran out of class and onto a road on his first half-day despite the school having several months to prepare for their son's arrival.

The school has told RNZ that safety is its top priority.

Haylee McDonald spoke to Māni Dunlop.