An 8-year-old boy from Howley has not been able to attend school in Deer Lake for the last three weeks because his family says there isn’t a school assistant to help him on the hour-long bus ride to school.

Chris Pearce says his son Ashton has autism and requires a student assistant to make sure he stays in his seat and wears a seat belt.

The family does not have a vehicle and must rely on busing to get Ashton back and forth. He needs a student assistant on the way into school and heading back home in the afternoons, but a student assistant is not always available for the return trip.

Pearce describes Ashton as “the sweetest boy” and says he’s been making great progress in school but is languishing at home.

He says his son is not advancing when he’s out of school.