SALLY Wallace has been "overwhelmed" by the support she and her son Jaxon have received, after she posted on Facebook about feeling "heartbroken" he missed his year 10 formal.
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The Gateshead mum-of-two said she had received more than 200 messages following her Monday night post, including from businesses who wanted to help Jaxon and other students with disabilities have a formal; parents whose children have experienced exclusion and families pledging to check their own children's formals include every single student in their grade.
Her own post has received more than 600 reactions, 198 comments and 494 shares.
"It was a simple message that has just affected so many people, the response from it has just been so overwhelming, which is a positive thing in many many ways," Ms Wallace said.
"It's not about putting people down or shaming them, it's about opening up their eyes to go 'Let's change the way we think about things so this never happens again'."
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Ms Wallace said she knew that no-one had intended to hurt Jaxon, but that small and simple actions could have a big impact.
"Inclusion is important," she said.
"These kids are human beings, they've got a right to be with their peers and to be respected. I want people to start realising these kids are being forgotten about.
"They are amazing children and they were born this way, they never chose this way, they never chose not to have friends or a support network. A little bit of kindness for our kids goes way further than anyone will understand... we're all different, but we're all equal."
Ms Wallace said Jaxon, 16, has autism and a learning delay and is in Whitebridge High School's special needs unit.
She said she asked the unit's "supportive, amazing" staff on Monday when the year 10 formal would be held.
She said they didn't know, but later called to tell her they'd just found out that year 10 students had organised an event independent of the school at Newcastle City Hall. It was on that night.
"It just broke my heart straight away," she said. "A lot of special needs kids get excluded from a lot of events... and in this day and age that's the last thing that should ever happen.
"I'm just thankful Jaxon doesn't understand that his year 10 formal was on Monday, but there's a lot of kids there who do understand."
A Department of Education spokesman said the school had "no involvement whatsoever with the organisation of this year 10 student event".
"The department does not support any activity that is not accessible to all members of the school community," he said.
"Whitebridge High School is a highly inclusive school with a large and thriving support unit, where every student is deeply valued."
Principal Nadene Harvey wrote to families on Tuesday.
"Our high school prides itself on its non-discriminatory, equal opportunity educational and social environment, which is why we would never organise an event that was not inclusive of all of our students," she wrote.
"Unfortunately, major inaccuracies have been circulating on social media platforms about the school and a privately organised event attended by some year 10 students, which was held last night.
"The school did not organise this event, nor endorse it, in fact, six months ago on May 14 the email below was sent to all year 10 parents stating that the school would not be involved in such a function."
Ms Harvey said it was wrong to claim the school had deliberately excluded any individual student or group of students from the formal.
"It is also appalling that some students were excluded from this function, and the school understands the upset those students and their families would feel about being discriminated against," she wrote.
"Such behaviour is unacceptable and the school stands ready to support students distressed by what occurred and this support can be accessed through the school's comprehensive wellbeing team."
Ms Wallace emailed Ms Harvey on Monday and again on Tuesday to express her disappointment about what had unfolded. They will meet on Thursday.
She said the school should have followed up on its May concerns and needed to take some responsibility.
"The school is involved - they're your students, they're coming together to celebrate their year 10 being in your school," she said.
"The school may not have booked it and organised it, but they knew about it."
Ms Wallace said she wrote on Tuesday "responsibility doesn't stop at the front gate".
"These kids organised this on social media with the Whitebridge High School logo, it was booked in [under the school's name] and maybe parents have organised it, but this is also your responsibility to sit down with these kids and make sure that they know how to put together a social gathering," she said she wrote.
"It's a major important thing to do for kids' futures as well. Don't you think this would have been something the school could have got involved in, at least so you know it was done correctly, considering they are representing your school."
Ms Wallace said a student who helped organise the event sent her a message on Monday night.
She said the student apologised and explained they had tried to include everyone, but weren't sure how to contact the special needs students. She said the student said it had been difficult for them and their peers to organise the event on their own.
Ms Wallace said she told the student they could have contacted the unit's teachers, but that the school could have provided them with more guidance and outlined consequences for their actions if they didn't include everyone.
Ms Wallace said she was considering taking up the offers of help she'd received.
"I'm thinking of personally putting on an event and it won't just be Whitebridge High kids, it will be all schools, the year 10 and year 12 kids who are on the spectrum or have any disability, who never got the chance to experience or enjoy their formals.
"Or even if they were invited, but couldn't handle that amount of people. They can get dressed up, their parents can come and take photos and they can feel part of a community.
"Anybody that has something going on in their lives needs to be reminded: you are part of our community."
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