Cook Elementary School may become the first school in the Columbus Municipal School District to have a service animal on campus.
The board of trustees is currently reviewing a policy which specifies the criteria and conditions under which service animals may be used to assist students in the classroom and at school functions. The policy, which was tabled during Monday night’s school board meeting, could be approved at the Nov. 14 meeting, said Anthony Brown, assistant superintendent of federal and special programs.
CMSD has never had a service animal policy, but public information officer Janet Lewis said it’s important for the district to be proactive in order to meet Mississippi Department of Education specifications and be in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which states that no qualified person with a disability can be denied the benefits of services, programs, or activities from a public entity based upon that disability.
Brown said the new policy was prompted by a request from the parent of a Cook Elementary School student.
If the service animal policy is approved, it will allow for certified service animals on school premises as well as on buses, on a case-by-case basis. Both dogs and miniature horses will be permitted as long as they have been individually trained to work or perform tasks to assist the individual with the disability.
This would include seeing eye dogs to assist those who are blind or have severe vision impairments, and other animals that can assist with things like alerting those with hearing impairments, pulling wheelchairs, carrying or picking up items for those with mobility impairments and other functions.
CMSD will not assume ownership of the animal, and its owner will be responsible for its care, feeding, and control. Service animals must be controlled by the owner at all times, and they can be immediately removed from campus — at the principal’s discretion — if they are deemed to be a danger to other students, disruptive or not properly housebroken.
Under the policy, if any staff member or student is allergic to the animal, the animal will be moved to a different location, and CMSD will develop an alternate plan.
If the board passes the policy, parents or guardians interested in service animal accommodations will be required to present a written request to Interim Superintendent Dr. Martha Liddell.
Requests will be approved or denied on a case-by-case basis.
In other news, the board approved the sale of surplus buses and recognized Columbus High School student Hunter Mullis for making a perfect score of 688 on the state biology exam.
Carmen K. Sisson is the former news editor at The Dispatch.
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