Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for January 10, 2007 NY SCHOOL BANS SERVICE DOG

Maybe the student should transfer to one of those school districts that have dogs teach students to read...by replacing over-critical teachers who damage student self-esteem!

Or...maybe this indicates a market for allergy-free service dogs...like those $4000 cats from a previous edition of CAT Tracks!

From the Newsday.com website...

Boy's mother reacts angrily to school's stance, saying officials have "vendetta" against the family.

BY CARL MACGOWAN
Newsday Staff Writer The parents of a deaf Westbury teenager "repeatedly rejected" efforts by officials to discuss the boy's wish to bring his service dog to school, the East Meadow schools chief said Tuesday.

Superintendent Robert Dillon released a four-paragraph statement late Tuesday, laying out for the first time the district's reasons for barring John Cave's service dog, Simba, from W. Tresper Clarke High School. He said the district has a blanket policy barring animals for safety and health reasons.

"The district has taken the appropriate steps to evaluate this issue and has determined that the student does not need the service dog to access the district's programs," Dillon said.

"Certain risks are posed by a canine participating daily in the school environment such as allergy considerations, problems in navigating class and staff flow in the hallways and stairwells, and the significant distraction and substantial disruption to educational operations that the animal's presence poses."

The boy's mother, Nancy Cave, reacted angrily to the statement, accusing district officials of having a "vendetta" against the family. She said the Americans with Disabilities Act and state civil rights statutes "state that the school district has no jurisdiction relative to a service dog."

"We do not have to justify what the dog does for John," Cave said. "We don't have to explain; we don't have to show proof of anything. ... Nor is it any of their business."

Cave acknowledged that she has refused to meet with the district's committee on special education to discuss allowing John to bring Simba to class. She said the district is legally obligated to allow the dog. "Simba is not a special education accommodation," she said.

She said she is willing to meet with Dillon individually, but that Dillon has refused such a meeting. "I am not the problem," Cave said.

Cave said most students with allergies would have no contact with Simba. "He's not a danger to anyone," she said.

The superintendent's statement was released after school officials denied access to the dog for five straight days. Simba briefly entered the high school with John Tuesday morning, Cave said. When John was ordered to the school's main office, she said he instead went to class and was reprimanded by the principal, Timothy Voels. The boy avoided suspension when Cave agreed to take Simba home.

Cave said her son is struggling in school because of the controversy. But she said John will continue bringing the dog to school.

"The dog has every right to be there," she said. "We're going to keep trying."