And then there is homeschooling by necessity...

Let me comment on dogs for the deaf/blind. I might be wrong, so please don't take my word as gospel! I had a blind roommate in college, and she was interested in getting a dog. The organization she went through, I'm thinking, didn't allow dogs to be placed with anyone under 18. Now, I don't know if it was just THAT organization, or if things have changed since then or what. But I do believe there's got to be a certain maturity level to have a service dog, and a 12yo who works on a K-1 level doesn't have it. Yes, who takes care of the dog IS an issue, especially with younger (or immature or low functioning) children.

 

Here's another school of thought to be tossed out on the table.

1) What if the dog was provided for the boy (a minor) in the hopes that it would allow him to become more independent in a school or social setting away from mom and dad, which is usually the goal. Going to school is only possible with the help of a service animal who can detect a seizure long before a human can detect the symptoms, so a one-on-one aide being the only one with the magnet is not in this child's best interest. He, being a minor, is very likely to be in an extremely controled, monitored setting 24 hours a day unlike an adult blind person who needs a service dog to navigate the world alone. Other people with service dogs are wheelchair bound, and some are paralyzed and the only control they are able to maintain is the dog being tethered to their chair.

2) As a dog trainer--and incedentally a former breeder of German Shepherds trained for obedience competition--I was amazed at the temperament and training that particular dog posessed. She would likely be able to be tethered to the boy; however, I'm sure that the boy would have an aide anyway since that is standard procedure for any child with his special needs, and the aide would be able to handle the dog with no problem. Ironically enough, the dog would be the best behaved 5 year old in the room.

In closing ....as far as accomodations for the child, there are laws and I'm sure they will be looked at closely and then followed to the letter. In this case, this child has a disability within a protected group of citizens. Children with allergies are not in a protected group under the laws we have set forth for accomodations through ADA. Their medical needs must be tended to, but I would think something concerning ADA would trump an allergy. Of course, the school wouldn't be able to ask about allergies because that is protected by HIPPA. :roll: Oh, the tangled web we weave. Truely mind boggling being a judge, I'm sure.

 

The student in my class was a 10yr boy. He was wheelchair bound (electric), and had limited control of his arms. Yes, the dog was tethered to his chair. But the dog DID NOT allow any greater independence. If Nick would drop his pencil in front of his desk, he would have to maneuver his chair around the desk (and the whole row of desks) to position his dog to pick it up. He would often ask someone else (an adult, usually) to pick it up instead. We would often refuse to do this, not because we were unwilling, but we felt he needed to be trained to use his dog EVEN WHEN IT WASN'T CONVENIENT. The dog was taken out during recess and lunch by Nick, accompanied by a man hired to attend to NICK'S bathroom needs (and the other boys who needed it!). He was willing to take the dog out, but it WAS NOT part of his job description. We also insisted that Nick go with him (taking time out of his recess), because we wanted to stress that it was Nick's responsibility to see to his dog's needs. I'm assuming the dog's mess was picked up and disposed by the bathroom attendant; I know several who would balk at this, even to complain to the Union. I had NO aide in my room! My classroom consisted of anywhere from three to eight students; I don't remember how many I had that year. That year was an Intermediate class, approximately ages 9-11. It was a self-contained class in a building that housed several Orthpedically/Health Handicapped units, as well as several regular classrooms in each grade, K-5. Some of the children were mainstreamed part time; I don't remember if Nick was. My students ranged from normal intelligence (though they often spent most of their time in a "regular" classroom) to children who didn't have a consistent yes/no response.

 

As other posters have stated, I have no issue with Service Dogs (I do have issues with people who dress their unruly mutt up as a service dog and take it into stores... but I digress since I've seen far too many well behaved Service dogs to feel that's the norm).

My issue, also as others have stated, is that the boy doesn't seem capable of looking after the dog. That isn't really against the boy- I was given a puppy when I was 12. My parents were far too busy to help me, and I had zero idea how to train him. It was a heartbreaking situation for all involved. It could have ended far worse.

It didn't sound to me like the boy had an aide (although that's possible) to help with the dog.


And to me as well it also opens an entirely different can of worms. I had a wonderful cat when I was a teenager. I faced bullying and name calling at school every single day. At home, my mother was absent, my parents divorced, my sister busy with her own friends. I cried myself to sleep every night. I had no one except my cat. Emotionally, I needed him. So why isn't that a consideration as well? Maybe not in my case, but certainly having a companion animal would change the lives of many friendless kids churned through the loveless halls of middle and high school. Maybe it would stop the murdering of children by other children. How do we decide that one need (physical) is ultra important and that another need (emotional) isn't?

(btw, I do feel service animals are invaluable!)

 

I'm just floored that anyone can honestly think the school has the right to trump a doctor's recommended treatment!

I guess schools all over the country can start declining to give other potentially life-saving treatments: like insulin shots or Eppi Pens, because, you know, it's just too much trouble and possibly dangerous to other students to have needles in the classroom.

 

Actually, just asking is not a HIPPA violation. Most schools ask about allergies at the beginning of the school year so they can be aware of them. Really, it would be irresponsble of a school NOT to ask in case of an emergency or severe allergy such as peanuts. There is actually a federal/state form the schools can print out (no different than immunization forms). It's only a HIPPA violation if the information is shared among people that are not authorized. Even when Tanner's class has a 'guest pet' (had one last week), it is a policy of our school district to tell the parents about the pet so parents can be made aware and can let the teacher know. It's not a HIPPA violation.

 

well I didn't really want to step in this. But, I will. I see tomatoes coming already. I work with these kind of children everyday. I am for what ever keeps the child safe and happy. If its a dog so be it. If its music so be it. We are there to help them and keep them safe. Yea sometimes its doing things we don't like. I see nothing wrong with a dog being there. We have one in our class room everyday. No trouble. The children don't even really know its there anymore. Like a desk been there a while it gets old. Takes awhile but it works. But I agree the American Againist Disability act is going to have fun with this one.

 

Sorry, JenPooh. I wish there was a sarcasm smiley. The HIPPA reference was supposed to be tongue-in-cheek. I remember the allergy questions when my dd was in ps for a short time. (she has angio edema)

 

Schools ignore doctor's orders all the time.

 

Here's something interesting. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/29/AR2011012904520_pf.html I thought it sort of related to our topic....

 

LOL Ah...got it. I will tell you though...you did have me for a second. I kept thinking..."Is it really a HIPPA violation?". LOL You just really never know these days sometimes.

It's all good. :love:

 

I'm trying to picture this situation in a classroom of 30 kids, which is the norm in our area. We do not have segregated special ed classes...they are all integrated into 'normal' classrooms which are normally 30 kids! Eek!

 

NO self-contained classrooms? WOW! That's not good! I'm all for mainstreaming children in a regular classroom as much as possible, but.... I mean, this boy is 12yo, and is at a K-1 level. So is he put in a K-1 class with the 6yos? Or is he put in a classroom with the 12yos? Neither one would be appropriate for him full time. And where would you put the 11yo I had who was trying to learn how to count to three?

 

that is why there is special ed rooms for children like that. And they go up in years as they age not what they do. If some are doing ok yes they go to the classroom with a extra teacher and do a few things like math or reading then back to there special ed rooms.

 

Which is the way it SHOULD be. If they are capable, even capable with some adjustments, fine. But they should NOT be there if they are going to seriously slow down the rest of the class.

 

We have special ed classrooms in each school, but most are only for periods of time throughout the day. For example, Tanner goes to speech twice a week for his stuttering. He is pulled from his normal classroom and goes to the speech teacher during this 20 minute period.

We DO have special ed classes for children like this little boy at a few of the schools (it's not completely nonexsistant), but he would be mainstreamed into the normal classes as much as possible according to his level of intelligence...so he would be back and forth between the two.

I should have said "We have minimal segregated classrooms" instead of what I did...wrong choice of words on my part. However, he would still be mainstreamed in as much as possible with kids at his level.

 

Again, it depends ON THE CHILD. These decisions need to be made individually. Take your son. Tanner only needs speech. It would be ludicrous to pull him out of a "regular" class full-time for stuttering. He's fully capable performing normally with his peers. Or can you imagine pulling a kid full-time simply because he had glasses or a hearing aid? Of course not! But some handicapped kids are not capable of functioning in a regular classroom to some degree. Some might be able to join for non-academic subjects such as music. Or they can just "sit in" and listen with their age group for subjects such as history, much like we would have a preschooler sit in the room and color or something while the older ones are doing lessons. But we wouldn't expect that preschooler to perform at the same level as his older siblings. (That's called "inclusion", rather than "mainstreaded", btw!). But some children are SO involved that they will learn best full-timed in a self-contained classroom. And it would be a hindrance, both to that child AND to those in the "regular" classroom, to have him with his "normal" peers.

Carl has kids "mainstreamed" into his computer classes. He'll teach two or three classes of the same subject, and he's always fussing that the one with the mainstreamed kids (talking a group of five or six, not just an individual child) is always dragging behind the other classes. The special needs kids come WITHOUT AN AIDE, and slow the rest of the class down.

 

Oh I totally agree Jackie! Tanner is a completely different situation than this little boy. Stuttering doesn't hinder his learning or comprehension and he is a fully functioning "normal" 8 year old. He just has a speech disfluency, is all.

I know people want their kid to be 'just like everyone else', but the sad reality is that it's not always best for everyone involved. Not the child, or other children.

Our district calls it 'mainstreaming' by the way. They rarely use the word inclusion for some odd reason. Like I said, they DO have special ed classes which are contained, but they are always pushing to put those children in reguar classrooms as much as possible. And like you said...it's not always with an aide, which is even MORE frustrating.

 

well ladies face it. Its not that way anymore. They have just as much right and you and the next door little girl do. Yes, they might slow the class down. But, so do the clowns I been in both of them. We don't pull the clowns out all the time. We stop the class for them. Yes, these children do need more attention but so do the clowns that is why they are acting out. Yelling for it. I have trouble seeing what you all are trying to say. We really don't have a choice. Its in the America Against Disability Act. Or the bill no Child left behind. We are there do what we can and that is it.

 

How so?

And you think that's ok?