An Independence, Missouri cheerleader and her family say Truman High School won’t let her participate on the field this year because it claims her wheelchair will damage the turf. Lacy Kiper, 18, added that “even for the basketball gym, they said no.”
Kiper is entering her second year as a cheerleader, and her family says the athletic department has restricted her participation, according to Fox 8.
“It’s definitely been very challenging to find someplace to feel involved because, for the most part, I’ve only ever been the only wheelchair user in my school,” Kiper said.
Lacy was born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta Type 5, and her bones break easily. Her father Charles Kiper says he told the school he’d “be sure that she’s got someone to assist her in any way” with mats or just being present when she first joined the squad. He says the school “turned me down on most everything.”
“I have provided them with three doctor’s notes from her lifelong orthopedic surgeon who’s done all the surgeries and have known her since she was two months old. And they still tell me no,” her dad added.
Lacy added that she has been told her chair’s wheels would be “too heavy and damage a little bit of the turf.”
“But even for the basketball gym, they said no,” Kiper added. “And I was like, ‘That’s a floor that I go on all the time.’”
The Independence School District said in a statement it can’t comment on the situation and needs consent from Lacy’s parents to do so, citing both “HIPAA and FERPA releases.”
“Without those releases, the District is limited in what it can discuss,” a statement read. “While the Independence School District cannot respond substantively to the editorial, the District would like to reiterate that it takes the safety of all involved in our activities seriously, and remains committed to ensuring that our programs and activities are inclusive, safe, and welcoming for all students.”
