'It's completely unfair': Girl with autism excluded from field trip

A Langley family is devastated their 12-year-old daughter was told she couldn’t participate in the year-end trip with the rest of her peers, just six days before the field trip.

 A Langley family is devastated their 12-year-old daughter was told she couldn’t participate in the year-end trip with the rest of her peers, just six days before the field trip.

Sophia has autism, albinism and epilepsy.

Her mother, Leah Burrell, said she was shocked when she received an email Friday night from West Langley Elementary’s principal, saying due to safety concerns, Sophia wouldn’t be able to participate.

“It's completely unfair to say, you know, four or five business days before she's supposed to go on this field trip, that she's incredibly excited for, that she can't go,” she explained.

“It's just such a defeating feeling as a parent to hear that your kid is just not allowed to go while the rest of the class is going on this field trip. I mean, it just feels horrible.”

Earlier this month, Sophia was able to go to Playland with her peers with two education assistants and a resource teacher.

Burrell thought the same accommodations would’ve been made for this trip to Cultus Lake.