A certified assistance animal may attend school and be transported when it is needed to facilitate the independence of a student with disabilities in the educational setting. There are several types of assistance animals: hearing dogs, guide dogs, service dogs, and dogs trained to perform a combination of services. Hearing dogs alert individuals who are deaf or hearing impaired of basic sounds and emergency alarms. Guide dogs assist blind and visually impaired people in moving about or around in their environment. Service dogs assist individuals with physical disabilities by performing such tasks as opening doors, turning light switches on/off, and retrieving objects.

An assistance animal should be considered a "working animal" and not a pet. The purpose of assistance animal is to facilitate independence by greatly reducing, or in some cases, entirely eliminating the need for human assistance. Prior to the animal attending school with the student, a case conference committee or 504 committee meeting should be held to determine the purpose of the animal in the school setting. The committee must determine that the student needs the assistance animal to improve independence. The owner of the animal must provide documentation of current immunization, training certificate and credentials, and proof of liability insurance. This information must be updated and provided annually before the animal is permitted to attend school and/or ride the bus.

Adopted 10/12/09