Bethel University is in trouble over allegations of not providing inclusive classes or internship hours to a former student with intellectual disability.
Parents of the student have filed a lawsuit against the school for not treating their 19-year-old son Antonio all-inclusively in a two-year certificate program for inclusive learning.
“I wasn’t happy when the BUILD staff told us Antonio wouldn’t be taking any inclusive classes his first semester so he could ‘adjust’ to life on campus, but I went along with it with the understanding that he would have more inclusive courses in following semesters,” Antonio’s mother Jennifer Luebke told Inclusion Evolution.
“Then 2nd semester rolled around and the only inclusive classes he was given were badminton and tennis. He would never be able to make it to 50% inclusive classes by the end of his 2nd and final year after viewing his schedule, so we left the program.”
According to the lawsuit, the university didn’t stand to its promise of providing an inclusive environment to their son who was not allowed to participate with non-disabled students prompting him to stop attending the course.
The lawsuit further says that the university president Jay Barnes did admit to the misconduct in a letter to the parents last month.
“After consideration of all the information presented, I find that disability discrimination occurred against your son, [A.C.], in the academic complaint, specifically with access to academic electives,” the letter reads.
Meanwhile, the university has declined to comment on the pending litigation.
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