School bans second-grader's service dog

School officials say the dog has growled and barked at students and teachers. "We don't want kids getting bitten," says the school's lawyer. The 8-year-old girl, who has a congenital disease that causes brittle bones, and has suffered 60 broken bones, says: "I'm very upset about this. I want my service animal." (Boston Globe)

Comments

[Zcott]

Does anyone else think the term "service animal" is awful?

[SwarthyTroll]

So homeschool the kid, problem solved.

Could they have used a cuter, sweeter picture with this story? What kind of monster could say no to that face?

[Rusty]

They said the dog was 'poorly trained and aggressive'.
10 to one that could probably be said about the kids as well!

[Soo]

I understand the desire for parents to give their kids a "regular" childhood, but also know the implications.

When my teenager was in 2nd grade, she was diagnosed
with a treatable learning disorder, eg a malfunctioning brain. I had two options: medicate, or take her home. I chose medicaiton, and I also persued therapies that has kept her need for bigger doses down and she takes less than half the dose than other kids her weight. Her problem is not health-threatening.

On the other hand, my friend's boy has cerebral palsy, leaving him with weak muscle tone in his legs and arms. He has an unsteady walk, and since he's nearly 6 feet tall at age 15, getting hit on the back would paralyze him. So, no matter how much he pleads to "be like everyone else" and take gym class, she won't let him. It's for his own safety.

With brittle bone disease, homeschool is the best option. I would worry over every stair, every bumped knuckle, every clumsy Claude. Consider how crappy a kid would feel if they accidently knocked the girl down and broke something?

There are homeschool clubs in a lot of communities these days, which allow children to socialize. Sure, it's not a regular childhood, but I feel it's one that puts everyone's best interests into the frame.

[Kristin]

Get the dog some more training. Call the "Dog Whisperer!" He has helped lots of dog who have aggression/protective issues.

I can't believe a school could ban a service animal. What about a blind child who has a seeing eye dog? That would never even be considered.

They would rather have the state pay a human being to follow her around all day at school, when a trained animal ALREADY has the ability to do this for her.

Ridiculous! I think someone at the school is afraid of dogs...a barking dog is not one who is necessarily aggressive or threatening to bite!

[ambs]

No, a barking dog is not necessarily aggressive. But it is a huge distraction in a classroom setting. How do you expect second-graders to ignore the dog and keep concentrating on math?

[Kristin]

To say the child could be homeschooled is not a fair solution. What if your child had ADHD and constantly interrupted the class? Would he be sent home permanently to be homeschooled?

I say get the dog additional socialization training. Barking is VERY easy to fix. It's not like the dog had bitten people or anything.

The poor child has *no* friends. Her dog is her only companion. Plus, he helps her navigate the school and stay safe. I don't get why I am the only one sympathisizing with this girl.

[Soo]

Kristin:

If you read my earlier post, it was about my child who was diagnosed with ADHD. I just didn't think I needed to broadcast it so plainly. We were told to medicate or homeschool permanently.

We chose medication and "deschooling therapy," which isn't anything like it sounds, but it worked for us. Either way, certain situations just call for parents to back off the regular kid routine.

[Rena]

As the mother of a special needs child (autism) and parent advocate, who also happens to live in Massachusetts, I am appalled, though certainly not surprised, by the acts of the Scituate school district. It is not just a matter of a the parents wanting their daughter to have a "normal childhood," it is their right. If it were up to school districts, almost every child with any kind of disability would be banned from school. Fortunately, their is a law that protects their (the children) and our (the parents) rights; IDEA - the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Then there are the Massachusetts Dept of Education regulations, the oldest in the nation, that support the inclusion of disabled children.

These pieces of legislation state that only the most severly disabled children (not this girl) should be kept from a "mainstream" education. Furthermore, the law mandates that school districts provide for a child's socialization - a large part of the reason for her having her dog - as well as her education. I think this is just another example of a school district attempting to circumvent the law.

By the way for all those who suggested it was in "everyone's best interest" for this girl to be homeschooled, I would simply like to point out that the law - IDEA - does not provide for what's in the best interest for "everyone," only what's in the best interest of the child.

[eclecticcalico]

Well, nothing is black and white and this child deserves options due to her disability. We all rely upon some form of compensation for our shortcomings and she should not be "left behind". I'm sure that in many ways she is older and wiser than her age and can make decisions for herself. She is not receiving proper socialization skills as it is if she has no friends there and to better train the dog would probably not lessen the resentment of the staff at this point. It is sad that she has been set so far apart from her peers and now her teachers and it seems there is more than the issue of the dog here. This child with her condition will probably not have a long or normal life no matter what and I think her comfort is most important. It is still up to the school under the IDEA to provide for her any educational needs or wants that she may have. My son is severely disabled and he gets wonderful care at school. He is also very disruptive but they adore him anyway!

[Soo]

Rena and Eclecticcalico both make excellent points I had not considered. Certainly, the school environment plays a big role in how well a special-needs child is accommodated, and respected. As a teacher-in-training, I am very aware that teachers receive little or no education in special needs before they get licensed.

My point was long-winded but boiled down to this: the child in question is delicate, no one would argue that. Placing her in a classroom with so many rambunctious children, I feel, is placing her in harm's way. My youngest is a recent second-grader.

Homeschooling does, unfortunately, move her out of the greater realm of socialization. However, there are many outlets these days for homeschoolers for socializing, and could be done with minimal risk to the girl.

The service animal didn't even come into play in my post. Actually, I've known many service animals, and if I made a guess, there were too many kids "rushing" the dog and treating it like a pet, which is a no-no, and THAT is why it may have barked or growled. They're trained to warn of danger, and a bunch of kids running towards the girl and the dog definitely is danger. I'd growl, too.

My apologies for offending--Soo

[Lou Sussler]

The article indicates that the dog was barking and growling. That is both a distraction and a potential danger to the other students. Therefore the dog has to go. If the child feels she can not attend school w/o the dog, then she should be home schooled.

I don't think it's right to inconvenience an entire class or school so one child gets the service animal. I also don't think it's right to ban peanut butter from an entire school to accomodate a single child, or to ban playing tag from an entire school because one kid got hurt.

The needs of the one must be balanced against the needs of the many and some kind of compromise needs to be reached. The pendulum has swung too far in favor of the needs of one. IMO, of course.

[pnwgal]

Topics where fragile children are involved are always sensitive. We're all entitled to our opinions and in this case, both sides have made excellent points.

Lou's point about concessions by the many for the one is very relevant. If the dog was a distraction for the other students, then the dog either needs to go, or there needs to be more education around the duties of the service animal. My "normal" child has just as much right to a non-disruptive education as does the "fragile" child.

Soo's position regarding homeschooling the girl I truly believe comes from a mother's perspective of trying to protect one's child-I also believe she has no reason to apologize for her views.

It's true that every child is legally entitled to an education. I believe it's also true that not every child can be easily streamlined into a classroom situation. I think in this instance, the parents should be making sure that their daughter's service dog is well-trained and as inobtrusive as possible if they want her in school.

[Susen]

I was home schooled for Jr. and Sr. High. I lived a completely 'normal' life, thank you, and had to turn down socialization options. I am not disabled in anyway, however, I do not feel this takes away from the validity of my point at all. Home school is a completely viable option, especially with schools today in the disarray they are in. No, it's not for everyone, but it is not, and should not be called, abnormal.

[Susen]

Also, educationally, home schooling is actually generally better. I know there are exceptions, yes, there are to every 'rule'; but home schoolers are generally under more scrutiny than school children and must take annual tests, etc, to make sure they are on the right level. Many times, home schoolers are above and beyond that. School is fun. But academically, for a student like me, it was not a good place. Home schooling helped to improve my concentration skills (I suspect that I have mild ADD that is now Adult ADD) enough to succeed (when I chose to) in college. School for me was purely social when I was enrolled there.

But the topic here is this little girl and her service dog. It is, I believe, against ADA laws to ban her service dog in the first place. Secondly, I agree with (can't find the name now) whoever said that the dog was probably only doing it's job when it was barking, warning the little girl of any percieved danger.
And, thirdly, having recieved training in Special Education, I also understand how often the teachers do -not- get the proper teaching, as well. Unfortunately, if one does not go for 'special ed', one does not recieve any training on how to 'deal with' or accommodate appropriately in a way that benefits not only the special needs student, but also the entire classroom. It can be done, but too few teachers know how.

[TomW]

All the flag waving and weeping is great but its more about the dog being aggressive and not well trained. Get a better dog. Service animals including seeing eye dogs cannot be aggressive. The girl has a condition that would cause her serious injury if the dog decides to take off down the hallway chasing the seeing eye dog in the other class. Not about schools making a cruel decision, its about the dog not being safe, for other kids and for the disabled child. We love to weep and whine but we would be doing the same reaction if the story had come in about Pippi Longstocking being bitten by a dog in her class room...oh my god classrooms are supposed to be safe, what idiot school official let a mean dog in the class!! Lets not sit up and bark like a dog when some local journalists pulls your chain with a slanted story. Get a better dog that is not a bite threat!

[Nick]

What a moronic school district. This poor kid is probably with minimal friends and her dog takes care of her and makes her less lonely.

In another article I read, some kid at her school pushed her over and broke her leg. It totally makes sense that these dumbasses will protect the normal kids and ostracize people with legitimate disabilities.

[kim]

How much do you want to bet that the kids in the classroom have been petting the dog and such? I know service animals aren't supposed to be treated like cute pets when they're on duty.

[dave]

fyi, Assistance dogs are NOT trained to warn of danger. They are specifically trained to NOT be protective. If the dog indeed growled and barked, etc...and the user can not control it, then the dog legally can be denied access. (and if this was a continuous problem, the user really should/would be addressing it with the trainer anyways...) Most orgs will not allow an 8 year old to go in public with a dog without a guardian...as for school, it gets tricky. The problem is that Assistance dogs are still dogs, and being a consistent leader is very difficult for any 8 year old.... i have seen some very assertive and consistent kids with dogs! but its rare, and that is a tough environment. kids distract dogs....it is genetic! so i'm sure this kid had her hands full in that environment. In my opinion, you have to have full support from the school for it to work, aides and such. From what i have seen, despite what they say, they very reluctantly "approve" of these dogs in school, despite the fact that they must allow them access if the school is public. Most of the teachers I have met didn't know that these dogs are entitled to be there, they acted like they were doing a favor...not malicously, they just didn't know....and if someone is afraid of dogs or has allergies, well....you meet resistance. The fact that the school referred to the dog's gentle leader as a muzzle tells you how informed they are and also gives insight to their thought process.

[Labman]

''said Indy never needed a muzzle. During one visit to the school she placed a collar on Indy that wraps around the dog's snout. The collar was supposed to help Hailey lead Indy around''

That sounds like a head collar, a Gentle Leader or Haltie. They are commonly used too prevent dogs from pulling on leash. People often mistake them for muzzles. Currently I am using one on the puppy I am raising for a large dog guide school. She makes 21 puppies my family has raised for service dog schools. No well trained service dog will bark and growl unless provoked. Perhaps the teacher needs to better control the other kids.

If the dog really has a barking and growling problem, it can and should be banned. I have seen people that don't like dogs fuss over nothing. Recently somebody complained I touched my dog while going through a buffet.