HEADLINES


Tyler Hubert’s service dog, Dudley, was prescribed by a doctor and certified by Autism Service Dogs of America.


Service Animal Usage in Public Schools Poses Challenges Despite ADA Protections


By Michelle Fisher W


hen a student with disabilities relies on Fido to assist with tasks tied to learning, transportation personnel are part of the team that makes it work.


Tese students are due a “Free Appropriate Public Education” under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Te American with Disabilities Act (ADA) mandates their right to use a service animal both at school and during transport. Te new ADA regulations that took effect last March specify


that only a dog or miniature horse may be allowed as a service animal. Further, the animal must be “individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability.” Dr. Linda F. Bluth, the immediate past-president of NAPT, said


IDEA actually does not include any specific mention of service animals but does discuss supplementary services for students with special needs. “If a child needs a service animal to benefit from, or to access,


28 School Transportation News Magazine February 2012


special education, the IEP (Individualized Education Program) meeting is the ideal setting where to address this request,” she said. Bluth said the ADA clearly mandates that any individual who


requires a service animal can have one. When she presented “Hot Topics in Special Needs Transportation” at the NAPT Summit last October, she addressed the responsibilities of student transporters. “Te first thing you’re going to do is determine whether the


service animal is required for the child to attend,” said Bluth, who is monitoring and quality assurance specialist for the Maryland State Department of Education. “You need to know what impact the service animal will have. You also need to figure out where it will be seated.”


SERVICE-ANIMAL REQUESTS ON THE RISE Melinda Jacobs, a Knoxville, Tenn., attorney with 25 years of


experience in special education law, said more school districts have turned to her for guidance since the Department of Justice


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