'Just sick to my stomach': Sask. mom says cheer team asked daughter to hide self-harm scars
It’s been a week since a North Battleford mother found out that her 13-year-old daughter was no longer being treated like everyone else at her school.
“I was just sick to my stomach,” the mother said, who asked that she and her daughter not be identified.
“Honestly, after that conversation, I couldn't believe what they were telling me.”
She says the conversation was between her and the vice principal at her daughter’s school, John Paul II Collegiate in North Battleford, where her daughter took part in the cheer team.
Her daughter has scars on her arms and legs from self-harm and is being told she can’t participate in certain events with the rest of her cheer teammates.
“If she wanted to compete in the competition coming up in February, she was to have her arms and legs covered and the sleeping arrangements were changing,” she said.
“She would have to stay in the hotel room with me, and she also would not be allowed to join her teammates when they went swimming.”
The mother says her daughter also will not be allowed to participate in gym class at her school, where the uniform is shorts and a t-shirt which would not cover her scars.
“She's been working with the school counsellor,” she said.
“This has been going on the entire time she has been in cheer, it's not just like an isolated incident. It didn't just one-time happen. She's been in cheer since October, and we've all been made aware of [the scars] but there was just no policy surrounding it.”
In an email, the Saskatchewan Cheer Association says there are no protocols regarding self-harm scars or injuries, and any limitations imposed on the athlete would have come from another source.
The email went on to say the SCA does not support any decision to discriminate, limit or exclude any athlete with actual or perceived physical impairments such as scars from self-harm.
In a statement, Light of Christ Catholic School Division says it takes the mental health of all students very seriously, but is unable to discuss any details around any student’s personal circumstances due to privacy requirements.
Executive director of the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Saskatoon branch Faith Bodnar says she was shocked when she heard of the situation.
“To have these kinds of restrictions placed on her because of a mental health issue is really, I'm going to use the word, quite archaic,” she said.
Bodnar says the approach of excluding students based on their mental health needs is not best practice.
“This just reinforces that stigma about mental health and we need to talk about it as we would any other health issue,” she said.
“I'm pretty certain that most youth are struggling with some area of their mental health. They're also at a time in their lives when it's really difficult to talk about it and we don't want to have these kinds of secrets, we want to have them brought forward.”
The mother says her daughter feels like she’s been left out, and has decided she doesn’t want to take part in a team that treats her differently from others because of a mental health issue.
“She doesn't feel like she has to cover her arms and legs, and I'm not going to force her to do so,” she said.
“We're working towards ending the stigma surrounding mental health and this situation right here is increasing it. It's not helping.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
NEW 'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Canadian couple among tourists on sinking sailing boat tour abroad
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their “extremely dangerous” experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
An Ontario senior called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Accused of burglary at stepmother's home, U.S. senator says she wanted her father's ashes: charges
A Minnesota state senator and former broadcast meteorologist told police that she broke into her stepmother's home because her stepmother refused to give her items of sentimental value from her late father, including his ashes, according to burglary charges filed Tuesday.
Twins from Toronto were Canada's top two female finishers at this year's Boston Marathon
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.