Service Animals         

INCL 8.0

The Archdiocese of Baltimore Department of Schools supports the appropriate use of service animals by students, subject to the conditions of this policy.

Purpose:

• To allow students who need the use of service animals to access a Catholic Education.

• Definition: 

  • • Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities.  Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability.  

    • Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals.

Commentary and Procedural Points:

Admissions and Inquiries about Service Animals

• Schools are limited in the inquiries that they are allowed to ask when it is not obvious what service a service dog provides.

• Staff may ask two questions:

○ Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?

○ What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?

• Staff may not ask about the person’s disability, require medical documentation, require a special identification card or training documentation for the dog, or ask that the dog demonstrate its ability to perform the work or task. 

• Also, schools may not charge a service dog fee to families whose students require the use of a service dog.

Allergies and Concerns

• Allergies and fear of dogs are not valid reasons for denying access or refusing service to people using service animals. 

• Should a conflict involving allergies or fear of dogs arise between students, both students should be accommodated by assigning them, if possible, to different locations within the room or different rooms in the facility

• If a compromised solution cannot be reached, the principal should consult their Associate Superintendent and/or the Director of Student Support Services for guidance. 

Preparing for the Service Animal

• The student/family must inform the school of this in advance of bringing the dog on school property.

• A plan must be formulated regarding the care of the dog addressing the following:

○ Where and when the dog will get to eat.

○ Where and when the dog will get to drink.

○ Where and when the dog will relieve itself

○ What staff member(s) will provide supervision for the student when he/she takes the dog out to relieve itself. 

• The plan should be written in as part of the Student Accommodation Plan (SAP). 

• It should be made clear to the family that the school is not financially responsible for providing the dog’s care or food.  

Expectations of the Service Animal

• When a student has a service animal, it is expected that the dog be kept under control at all times. 

• Service animals must be harnessed, leashed, or tethered, unless these devices interfere with the service animal’s work or the individual’s disability prevents using these devices.  In that case, the individual must maintain control of the animal through voice, signal, or other effective controls.

• A service animal may be asked to leave under the following circumstances:     

○ The dog is out of control and the handler does not take effective action to control it, or

○ The dog is not housebroken (DOJ, 2011).

• If a service animal has to be asked to leave, the school should notify their Associate Superintendent and/or the Director of Student Support Services for guidance on next steps.

References: 

• Americans with Disabilities Act

June 27, 2019