Edmonton father frustrated over lack of response from EPSB after daughter made to repeat Kindergarten 

An Edmonton father is calling on Edmonton’s Public School Board, which refused to keep his daughter in her Grade 1 class, saying she needs to go back to Kindergarten as she was born three days past the cut-off.

“It should be for the best interest of kids, and I think that’s lacking here,” said Zaahir Moloo, an Edmonton parent.

Moloo says his daughter has already completed Kindergarten twice. Once overseas and once at a private school here in Edmonton, but she may be forced to leave her Grade 1 class at public school and go back to Kindergarten for a third time, because her birthday is three days past the cut-off. 

“We got a call from the principal stating that, because of certain funding rules, they had to move her back to Kindergarten. So obviously, this would be her third time going through the Kindergarten program. Academically, socially — she’s ahead — she’s at that Grade 1 level. “

Moloo says that despite having the grades and support from the principal, his family’s appeal was denied by the superintendent of Edmonton’s public schools. 

Adding to the frustration, he says, is that the superintendent of the school board has refused to meet in person over the issue. 

CityNews reached out to the Edmonton Public School Board for a response, which said in a statement there is a multi-step process for appeal, but adds that since the beginning of August there have been 324 appeals to the superintendent.

“The Superintendent (or a delegate, in rare cases) personally reviews all appeals,” said Kim Smith, the communications consultant with EPSB.

But for Moloo, he believes the superintendent should be willing to meet face-to-face for extenuating circumstances. 

“So as a physician, imagine I’m a public servant — and I tell my nurse to break bad news to people — and I say, ‘Hey, I’m not going to come to talk to you or meet with you to explain the decision.’ So that was very off-putting. I tried two or three times — still a hard no,” said Moloo.