A Chinese mother is fighting the Richmond School District from abroad, after her teenage son was withdrawn from the international students program and sent home.
Jenny Chang is lobbying from her home in Japan after her son, Kenneth, had to leave the Richmond International Education (RIE) course last October, due to the district’s concerns over the Grade 12 student’s mental health.
She now claims her son’s future at university has been jeopardized and is demanding an apology and a refund for Kenneth’s tuition.
Kenneth had been attending McMath secondary in Steveston for more than three years and had been living in the family’s townhouse near the school, along with his grandmother and mother — who spent a few days a month out of the country for work.
But last October, the mental well-being of Kenneth and several of his classmates was a cause for concern for the district in the wake of the death of a fellow McMath student the previous month.
So much so that Kenneth, while his mother was out of the country for work, was admitted to Richmond Hospital on the advice of his RIE counsellor and with his mom’s permission.
Three days later, Jenny flew into YVR from Japan and was met by her son’s custodian — a family friend who keeps an eye on Kenneth while his parents are out the country — before they both went to see Kenneth in hospital.
Kenneth was released home soon afterwards, but after a subsequent assessment of his health by Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), school staff and counsellors, the district determined that the safest place for the teenager was in his home country, with his parents, full-time.
However, his mother — who said she had no choice but to take Kenneth back to Japan last November — claims her son has been treated unfairly and says his long-term health was never in question.
“He had been a diligent student until last October, after the death of one of his peers,” said Jenny.
“He got depressed and reported (an) absence from school for three days (stayed at home). He was then taken to the hospital to receive professional help for another four days.
“He recovered well and was ready to return to school when I was called by RIE to have a follow-up meeting in the morning of Oct. 19 at their office.
“Since I thought the meeting was about the further support to my son, I was astonished to hear that he had to withdraw from McMath.”
Jenny was told that the decision was “not up for negotiation” and that it was for the sake of Kenneth’s wellness, so it should not be “taken as punishment.”
Compounding the misery was an email sent out to McMath parents by the school in error, which directly referenced Kenneth’s fragile mental state.
“I immediately forwarded that email to RIE and asked them to recall the email as soon as possible, as it violated the private information protection law/rule,” said Jenny.
Richmond School District spokesperson David Sadler told the Richmond News there were health and safety concerns with the student in question and it was decided that the safest place for the student was in his home country.
“To be clear, the decision that was made was solely based on health and safety. We were receiving advice from VCH and medical professionals,” said Sadler.
Asked why the district didn’t reconsider Kenneth’s participation in the program, given that his mother was now home for the foreseeable future, Sadler said the situation, by then, was “too far down the line.
“The situation had escalated to the point where the (concern was too great).”
According to Sadler, since the 2013/14 school year, the district has hosted 4,470 international students.
During that time, only seven students — or 0.16 per cent — have “gone back to their home country for a similar health and safety reason.”
Of those seven, Sadler added, there were no issues with the families in terms of the decision that was taken.
As for a refund for the Zhangs, Sadler said that, technically, after one month, there is no refund.
“In extreme circumstances, the international program will look at a refund,” he said.
“The program is currently waiting for documentation from the family. If they can provide that, we can proceed with looking at the refund.”
The News reported last October how the death of Linhai Yu, a 17-year-old Chinese high school student studying in Vancouver, had drawn attention to young, international students studying here alone.
Yu went missing on Sept. 11 after leaving friends near Bridgeport station. His body was later found near River Road in east Richmond on Sept. 22, with police saying the cause of death was not suspicious.
Chinese Consul data shows that more than 53,000 Chinese students are currently studying in Metro Vancouver. As about one in 20 Richmond students are non-residents (just over 1,000) the district pulled in close to $17 million in international student fees last year. Its annual operating revenue was $192 million.
