Teen with Down syndrome left out of cheer team photo by Utah school

After she was left out from the cheerleading squad photo published in her school’s yearbook, the family of a Utah girl with Down syndrome says they’re thankful for the encouragement she’s received from friends as well as the community.

Morgyn Arnold, 14, was the cheer squad manager at Shoreline Junior High School, according to her father Jeffrey Arnold. He stated she would go to games, cheer, and participate in other events to raise school spirit, CNN reported.

Morgyn’s father stated she posed for one shot with the squad and sat in the front row in the centre. Her dad said that when she received her yearbook on the last day of eighth grade, she noticed that a different photo that didn’t feature her had been used.

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“She walked in and she shows it to me, she says ‘I’m not here, but these are my friends and I love them,'” Jeffrey Arnold told CNN.

The yearbook featured a shot of the cheerleading squad sans Morgyn.

In a statement, the Davis School District expressed regret.

“We are deeply saddened by the mistake that was made. We are continuing to look at what has occurred and why it occurred. Apologies have been made to the family and we sincerely apologize to others impacted by this error. We will continue to address it with the parents of the student. We will continue to look at our processes to ensure this does not happen again,” the statement said, as quoted by CNN.

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Since the yearbook was published, Arnold said he’s had positive talks with school authorities and hopes they can take steps to ensure that this doesn’t happen to Morgyn or any other student in the future. He stated that he did not want to point fingers or discuss who was to blame.

“I am optimistic by the empathetic conversations that are starting to be engaged in to help impact change to ensure this doesn’t happen again,” he told CNN.

Arnold says that the other girls on the squad have banded around Morgyn since the yearbook was published.

The cheerleaders and their families have been subjected to “very malicious hate and disgusting comments” on social media, according to Arnold, who is pleading with people to stop.

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“The outpouring and rallying of love by the girls, these cheerleaders, only shows very distinctly that these girls, these cheerleaders were Morgyn’s friends, they were inclusive of her and continue to be and they were just as disappointed to see this,” Arnold was quoted as saying by CNN.

“They’re showing, through their example, the proper way to support and help in situations like this, and others are making it worse by their hatred and the nastiness of their comments.”

Morgyn will return to the school for ninth grade next year, but Arnold said he didn’t know if she would participate in cheerleading.