By Gagandeep Ghuman
Published: April 13, 2013
An expelled international student says the local school board was quick to send her packing to her native Chile, giving her little oppurtunity to make amends for her behaviour.
Paulina (name changed to protect identity) said she has had to see a counsellor in her native Chile to deal with the guilt and shame of her abrupt expulsion from Squamish.
Paulina said she was so distraught her parents took her to a counsellor who has since helped her cope with the explulsion.
“She dug in the wound, and made me talk about the experience, and told me the guilt I was feeling was okay,” she said.
Last month, a host family parent raised concern about the heavy handed punishment meted out by the school board after the student was hosiptalised following a rowdy new year’s party.
Garibaldi Highland resident Kerri Rode, a host family parent, knew the expelled student through another student she was hosting.
Rode said she was outraged at the ‘authoritarian and archaic system’ of punishment that lacks compassion and restorative justice.
The international students program director, meanwhile, said the incident was properly investigated and the decisión to expel the student wasn’t taken lightly.
In an interview with the Reporter, the international student admitted she had passed out after a night full of drinks and marijuana along the Squamish River.
After spending a night at the clinic, she said she was visited by Amy Shoup and Jeff Larcombe, two school board officials incharge of the international students program.
They prodded her for more information, but said they were not the ones who decide whether she gets to stay in the school.
The next day, the student claims, a voice mail informed her she had been expelled. She was also informed a flight had been booked for her.
“They didn’t even ask or tell anything to my parents. They didn’t give me no choice of anything,” she said.
Questions to the school board were not returned by press time.
The student said she repented her actions and was even willing to leave Squamish for some other community.
A Freedom of Information request filed by the Reporter reveals 14 international students have been expelled by the school board and 36 have been put on probation in the last five years.
As many as 140 students pump a collective $1.68 million into the local economy.
The expulsion of this student raises discomfiting questions: Why were international students left unsupervised in the new year’s party ? Is there enough staff to monitor and inspect host family parents and the students? Is the discplinary approach progressive ?
The school board has yet to answer any of these questions.
Meanwhile, the exepelled student, says she is trying to find a school in Chile to carry on her studies.
“I don’t yet know what will happen,” she said.
Nelson Winterburn says
This matter comes across as a ‘they say-she says’ but nothing seems to be in the open. The parties responsible for the decision need to CLEARLY identify theIr disciplinary process and ENSURE that the alleged offender has an opportunity to know their accusers and respond to them in an open forum – open that is to the Board and the Accused! The Board must be SEEN to be fair and open but in this matter, openness does not seem to be apparent. This is nothing new to the Board.
Jim Webster says
This article is a very slated view point by the paper. Its always easy to point the finger, but without clearly understanding or researching both sides, it doesn’t carry much weight outside of an opinion. This paper needs to do further better investigating before printing such things. In defence of the board international students do go through an extensive process to ensure the students are safe, focused on why their here and have a true Canadian/Squamish experience. If something had happened to the safety of that student, the likelihood of future students coming here would certainly be jeopardized, and the revenue that the board gets, especially in this critical funding time could quite easily diminish. The board is quite cognisant of the value this program plays in helping all students in the district, so to easily brush off the boards lack of concern for the international students and the roll this program plays is short sighted by this paper.
Anonymous says
What is that intensive process, Mr. Webster, and how are you aware of that ? Do you work with the school board ?
Gagandeep Ghuman