A Pennsylvania boy with Autism has been told he may not bring the dog to school. According to Michele Frey, her son's service dog was denied permission to attend North Lincoln Hill Elementary only one day before the dog arrived. Nine-year-old Austin has a prescription from his doctor saying he needs the dog's help, but school officials haven't budged.
Austin received his service dog, a Labrador Retriever named Rosie, thanks to the fundraising efforts of the Philipsburg-Osceola community. Rosie stops Austin from hitting himself and acts as a friend for the young man, whose condition causes him to struggle with human friendship.
Before Rosie came along, Austin's best friends were his hands, who he named "Vince" and "Nobobby." But over time, the "friendship" turned sinister: Vince and Nobobby stopped talking to Austin, and started slapping him. That was when Michele knew her son needed extra help, and began researching Autism Service Dogs.
But despite the doctor's prescription and Austin's diagnosis, "We got a letter from the Superintendent and the Special Education Coordinator saying the dog would not be able to go into the school with Austin until they found educational need," says Frey. "They were going to evaluate him."
While service dogs have legal public access rights in the United States, classrooms are not defined as public areas, and schools do not have to permit service dogs to attend unless they are listed as necessary in a student's IEP (Individual Education Plan).
What do you think? Should Austin's service dog be permitted to attend classes with him? Do schools have an obligation to permit a service dog if it helps a student, or should the needs of students who might be afraid of dogs or allergic to dogs trump the need of a single student?
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