Utrecht school not discriminating by sending boy with Down's Syndrome away: Human Rights body

Kohnstamm primary school in Utrecht was not discriminating against a 13-year-old boy with Down's Syndrome by sending him away because he is too different from other students, the College for Human Rights ruled on Tuesday. According to the College, the primary school did everything it could for the boy, NU.nl reports.

The boy attended Kohnstamm successfully for eight years. There were good arrangement between the school and the parents and the school got in external help for the boy. But when he started showing difficult behavior in year six, the school decided to initiate the expulsion procedure. The school also issued a statement that could be used to transfer the boy to special education.

The boy's parents filed the complaint with the College for Human Rights after unsuccessfully trying to get the court to prevent their son's expulsion. According to the parents, poor interaction between the boy and his teacher was the reason for problems. They held to the measure that ensures appropriate education for children with disabilities or learning difficulties, so they can attend mainstream schools.

The College ruled that the school is indeed required to ensure that all possible children can attend, but "this obligation no longer applies if the adjustments are disproportionately burdensome for the school", the ruling said.