The WRC did not uphold a child’s disability discrimination complaint against a primary school, finding that he had not made a prima facie case. The decision was dated 5 June 2024.
The child’s father said the school discriminated through pressure to attend a meeting, emails, a suspension and a suggested change of school. He also said the incidents formed a pattern. The school argued that some matters were outside the time limit and that some concerned the father rather than the child.
The WRC found that the meeting pressure and emails did not establish less favourable treatment on a protected ground. It said the suspension followed disruptive conduct and found the child had not shown that he was treated less favourably than an appropriate comparator. Complaints about a suggested school change and pressure to remove him were outside the time limit; the broader claim of a pattern also failed. The WRC found no prima facie case in the specific complaints.