Hunter Revis in his wheelchair
BUFORD, Ga. (WXIA) -- Hunter Rewis is 9 years old. He has cerebral palsy and uses a motorized wheelchair to get around Harmony Elementary School.
He also uses the chair when he goes outside to the school playground. But using the playground has special issues.
His parents, Paula and Corey Rewis, raised $13,000 to get special ramps built so Hunter could access the playground, but once inside, his parents say, his chair kept getting stuck in the mulch. They even took video using their cell phone to prove it.
"He is the only kid out of the 600 in this school, to my knowledge, that has been told he is not allowed to access the ground area of the playground," Corey said.
"He can get in and out but once he is in, he gets stuck. Every time he stops, every time he pulls up to a play component and tries to get in, one of those wheels just stays in the mulch. He gets stuck and somebody has to help him out. When he got stuck on January 5, his classmates actually had to help pull him out," he added.
The parents say the mulch area does not comply with the American Disabilities Act and the surface must be replaced or a path built. The Gwinnett County Public Schools disagree.
In a written statement they told 11Alive News, "The playground equipment, as well as the mulch used around the playground, is ADA compliant."
"They (Harmony Elementary) absolutely believes that it is fine and in perfect compliance," Corey Rewis said.
The Rewis' say the ADA requires "ground and floor surfaces to be stable, firm, and slip-resistant."
Corey Rewis says if no changes are made quickly, he will file a formal compliance complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice and with the Gwinnett County Schools,
In the meantime, Hunter has found an alternative. He is right in the middle of the action on the soccer field, not missing a beat with his classmates.