MSNBC reports today that an Illinois public school district is refusing to let a six-year-old autistic student “bring his yellow Labrador retriever, Chewey, to school.” Apparently, Chewey is a service dog that helps the student with the emotional challenges faced by some children with autism. “The dogs are trained to be a calming influence, providing a constant between home, school and other new places.” Experts argue that this is essential in the case of children with autism, many of whom act out, because they “have trouble with changes in their environment.” Beyond, their ability to stem negative behaviors, the dogs can also help avoid physical danger.
For instance, sometimes as “in [this student's] case, the dogs are tethered to children to prevent them from running off in dangerous situations.”
So, what’s the school district’s beef? According to reports, the school says it is already providing adequate services and claims the dog is simply “a companion or comfort dog, not a true service dog.” BoardBuzz is confused. If the dog helps control the kinds of acting out that prevents a student from learning and may help prevent a child from walking off into traffic, how is this animal not a “true service dog?” Moreover, isn’t the calming influence and its resulting ability to focus the kind of educational benefit the school district would welcome? BoardBuzz doesn’t want to second-guess the district’s decision. After all, there may be more to this pooch than meets the, er, fur? For instance, the district may have had a concern about allergies, about the dog’s training, or even about the potential distraction an animal in the classroom might be, especially given the young age of these elementary school children.
What BoardBuzz does know is that an outright ban on assistance animals, even those that aid students with autism, serves neither the school nor the student.
I think it is important for animals to be allowed to help people; these are working dogs, not pets. Children have to be taught at a young age not to bother a working dog. In some ways, I consider this to be a “culture” and we must respect the culture. I think of people that are blind that have to have their dogs to get around. I have always respected these dogs and I never interact with these animals without permission of the owner. I’ve taught my children to do the same. I realize that having an animal in the class could be disruptive at first, but I think the students would adjust. I’m sure there are many legal issues for the administration to consider in this situation.