Wheelchair-Bound Cheerleader Says High School Excluded Her, Pressured Her to Quit

A wheelchair-bound high school senior has accused a Missouri school of restricting her from participating in the cheerleading squad because of her disability.

Lacy Kiper, who joined the cheer squad last year, says that Truman High School won’t let her take the field with the rest of the squad during games because they fear her wheelchair will damage the turf on the field, Fox 8 reported.

“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,” the 18-year-old student said.

Kiper, who was born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta Type 5, a condition that makes her bones very brittle, said she got tired of leading a life that was so overly protected, and she decided to try out for the school’s cheer squad last year.

The student’s father told Fox that he’d do all he can to help alleviate their worries.

“I told the school I would put her on the mats if they want. I’ll be there for every game if they want. I’ll be sure that she’s got someone to assist her in any way to be a part of this team. And they have pretty much turned me down on most everything,” Charles Kiper said.

“I have provided them with three doctors’ notes from her lifelong orthopedic surgeon who’s done all the surgeries and have known her since she was 2 months old. And they still tell me no,” the girl’s father added.

But Lacy added that the school won’t let her join the squad when to do cheers inside the gym on the hardwood floors, either.

“But even for the basketball gym, they said no. And I was like, ‘That’s a floor that I go on all the time,” she said.

Lacy says that the whole situation frustrates her.

“It irritates me especially because I’m not even being given the, ‘Hey, do you think you could?’ or the ‘Hey, this is coming up in advance — everybody else doesn’t know yet but we want to know your thoughts on how you could participate,'” she told Fox.

Lacy also claimed that she has felt pressured by the coach to quit the squad, according to the Kansas City Star.

For its part, the Independence School District says that the girl’s father has refused to sign certain release forms, so they can’t allow her to participate unless he does so. The district also says that some news stories of the situation have contained “significant inaccuracies.”

“The District cannot substantively respond to such inaccuracies without consent to release student records from the parent. In this matter, the parent chose not to sign HIPAA and FERPA releases to allow the District to respond,” the district said in a statement.

“Without those releases, the District is limited in what it can discuss,” the statement concluded. “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.”

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Facebook at: facebook.com/Warner.Todd.Huston.