Petition For Charlie

CREATED Nov. 30, 2012

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  • More than 1500 people from all around the world are signing a petition to get Charlie Knuth back in the Kimberly School District. Video by nbc26.com

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More than 1500 people from all around the world are signing a petition to get Charlie Knuth back in the Kimberly School District.

His mother Trisha says the district terminated Charlie's open enrollment while he was in a Minnesota hospital recovering from his second stem cell transplant.

Charlie's great aunt who lives in Florida launched the petition Thursday night.

Melissa Weber was signature 1,496.

"A lot of people have been following his story and if this happens to one kid, what's going to happen other kids with health issues," Weber said.

Joy Cohen from Afghanistan writes,"Why make this child suffer even more."

"I tell you there were some very inspiring beautiful words that people had written to him," Charlie's mother Trisha Knuth said.

Trisha tells us the Kimberly School Superintendent denied Charlie's re-enrollment papers because he requires home-bound services, even though tutors from the district worked with him at home before.

"He's not a Kimberly resident. We have to follow the rules that are under the open enrollment process," Kimberly Superintendent Bob Mayfield said in a past interview.

Mayfield wouldn't talk on camera Friday, but in a past interview said Charlie is welcome back to the district when he's no longer home-bound.

He forwarded us an email from the Department of Public Instruction that states under Wisconsin law, the district cannot provide home-bound services to non-resident students.

Trisha hopes the petition will push the state investigation forward.

"I believe that Charlie's story can be a voice to all the other children and under served people of the community," Trisha said.

A spokesman for the Department of Public Instruction tells us because of student privacy laws they can't comment on the case. Trisha says she still has not heard back from them either on the investigation.