While it is upsetting, this type of thing will repeat itself in areas other than school. I have seen my kids get shut out of sports stuff - some of which at least started in the rec league which is supposed to be open to all - and it is upsetting to them. Perhaps more upsetting to the adults (maybe not the kids) was when these adults who shut them out of the sports then asked them to guest play because the team needed their skills for a big tournament.
Just remind yourself that this is only for 20 minutes a week. You could easily do that at home. While it is upsetting to see your friend go and you don't, maybe these parents have some pull that you don't. I recall a really pushy attorney mom (not a slam against lawyers, some are wonderful) and the family moved here from out of state. The process to get into the gifted program here takes about six months, but her triplets were in the program a few weeks after school started. The prior state did not use the same screening as this one, so there is no way they went through the process. And while the kids were bright, they probably were not gifted (or not all three). A few years down the road, however, my kid (that the school refused to let into the gifted program initially) was in the accelerated classes, and they were not. It will sort itself out - 1st grade is very early in the game.
