Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

RANKIN INLET (Mar 31/99) - The Keewatin Regional District Education Authority has a new written policy in effect after a troubling instance with a Rankin Inlet elementary student.

Andy Brown Jr. started kindergarten in Inuktitut and has switched back and forth a number of times between English and Inuktitut.

His situation was brought to the attention of the xxxKivalliq News by his mother, Joanie, when she didn't receive a second-term report card for Andy.

"By the time Andy reached Grade 2, I was asked to switch him to English because he was having a hard time understanding what he was supposed to be doing,' said Joanie.

"He has been through three different classes this year and is now back into Grade 1.

"I would really like to know what my son has learned in the past four months in school. I asked the principal Maybe the teacher could do just a simple test that could tell me a little how my son is doing?' and her response was No, no, I'm not going to ask her to do that. It's too much.'"

Leo Ussak principal, Cheryl Forbes, said after Andy completed kindergarten, he was in Grade 1 Inuktitut for a short time when the parents approached the school asking he be moved to English.

"At that time, both the teachers and his parents agreed Andy was having trouble. He was put into English but, after two days, his parents came back and said they made a mistake. He missed his friends, so he went back into the Inuktitut stream to finish Grade 1."

Forbes said after Andy started Grade 2 in Inuktitut this year, it became obvious he was having difficulty and his parents agreed he should be back in English. She told them if a child needs to switch streams, he should repeat the previous grade, but his parents were concerned that would be perceived as failing.

"Andy has moved between the two classes too much,' said Forbes. "School staff should know and be able to say where's the best place for a child to be. The parents wouldn't back down and, against my better judgement, we put him into Grade 2 English even though he wasn't ready.

"After we had to move him back to Grade 1, I told his mother she shouldn't expect a second-term report because he wasn't there long enough and missed all the Grade 2 testing and she agreed."

Joanie said both she and Andy have a right to know how he's doing in school, whether in the form of an official report card or not.

"He was four months in Grade 1, there must have been some progress," said Joanie.

"Even if I'd gotten something about whatever progress he'd made, even if it wasn't a proper report card, I would have been happy. But I got nothing.

"There has to be a better avenue or way of dealing with something like this."

Forbes said she has no problem with Joanie's request and is willing to work on a compromise.

"I will meet with his teachers and we'll prepare a written report on the student on how they feel he's doing."

As a result of Andy's case, the DEA's new policy states "If a parent chooses to change language streams, the child must repeat the grade in the new stream. For example, a student who has completed Grade 1 in the Inuktitut stream would be required to complete Grade 1 in the English stream before beginning Grade 2."