[nagdu] Teacher's allergy disrupts plans for autistic girl, service dog - The Athens Messenger: News

[Mark J. Cadigan]

Apologies. I was working quickly, and responded to the incorrect email.



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Cindy Ray" <cindyray at gmail.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, August 26, 2013 10:29 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Teacher's allergy disrupts plans for autistic 
girl,service dog - The Athens Messenger: News


>I am wondering why you posted this here. I'm not policing; I'm just 
>curious.
>
> Cindy Lou
>
> On Aug 26, 2013, at 9:11 PM, "Mark J. Cadigan" <kramc11 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Hi, I am an undergrad student at Suffolk University. I am looking for a 
>> one bedroom or studio apartment within 6 blocks of a T station or major 
>> buss root. The neighborhood is not as important as proximity to the T.  I 
>> do not drive, so parking is irrelevant, I have seen several apartments in 
>> Boston, however they are all too expensive. I am looking for something in 
>> the neighborhood of 1500 a month; it's just going to be me living there, 
>> so the size is not important.
>>
>>
>>
>> Ideally I would like an apartment with heat and hot-water, water and 
>> sewer, and trash included. I am currently living with my parents, so I 
>> can be flexible with a move in date. Also, my parents will be cosigning 
>> with me.
>>
>>
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Mark.
>>
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Janice Toothman" 
>> <janice.toothman at verizon.net>
>> To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Monday, August 26, 2013 9:49 PM
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Teacher's allergy disrupts plans for autistic girl, 
>> service dog - The Athens Messenger: News
>>
>>
>>>
>>> Hi Michael,
>>> What is CCI? Can you tell me more about what they do? Thanks.
>>> Janice
>>> On 8/26/2013 5:38 PM, Michael Hingson wrote:
>>>> Given that the child is autistic in fact the dog may well have been 
>>>> trained
>>>> by an organization like CCI.  Many times the dog does act as a calming
>>>> factor while the dog is actually commanded by someone else like the 
>>>> mother.
>>>> This is not an unusual situation, but the dog is, by any definition, a
>>>> service animal.  I have been to CCI and heard lectures on how animals 
>>>> are
>>>> trained to work with autistic children.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Best,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Michael Hingson
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Ann Edie
>>>> Sent: Monday, August 26, 2013 02:33 PM
>>>> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
>>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Teacher's allergy disrupts plans for autistic 
>>>> girl,
>>>> service dog - The Athens Messenger: News
>>>>
>>>> Other interesting aspects of this case:
>>>>
>>>> The mother plans to attend school daily with her daughter.--This 
>>>> indicates
>>>> to me, as does the age of the child, that the partnership between the 
>>>> girl
>>>> and the dog is not that of a person with a disability working 
>>>> independently
>>>> with a service animal.  It seems more that the parent handles the dog 
>>>> and
>>>> the presence of the dog has a calming effect on the child or something 
>>>> like
>>>> that.  The dog may or may not be trained to perform specific tasks to
>>>> mitigate the child's disability.  It might be more of a "social dog" as 
>>>> I
>>>> have heard them referred to, something to encourage interaction with 
>>>> peers
>>>> and others in the environment.  Or it may be that the dog does specific
>>>> things to help the child regain control when she is feeling overwhelmed 
>>>> or
>>>> upset, or keeps her on route when she is going somewhere.  But I doubt 
>>>> that
>>>> this young a child is being allowed to go anywhere alone.  If the 
>>>> mother
>>>> weren't there to handle the dog, the district would probably have to 
>>>> hire a
>>>> 1:1 aide to handle the dog, and that person would have to be trained in 
>>>> how
>>>> to manage the dog.  This is an expense that most districts could not 
>>>> justify
>>>> educationally, I believe.
>>>>
>>>> In my experience the school may have more of an issue with the mother
>>>> wanting to attend school with her child than with the dog.  Today's
>>>> confidentiality regulations make it very hard to have parents as well 
>>>> as
>>>> other members of the public in classrooms where they would have access 
>>>> to
>>>> protected information about other children.  Nowadays everyone in the 
>>>> school
>>>> building, including volunteers, must be fingerprinted and background
>>>> checked, and they wouldn't be allowed there on a regular basis unless 
>>>> they
>>>> were employees of the district, only on specific parent visiting days 
>>>> or
>>>> other special events, at least in the schools I have worked with.
>>>>
>>>> As I said, this is a very interesting case, and we'll see how it shakes 
>>>> out.
>>>>
>>>> Ann
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Ann Edie
>>>> Sent: Monday, August 26, 2013 1:51 PM
>>>> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
>>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Teacher's allergy disrupts plans for autistic 
>>>> girl,
>>>> service dog - The Athens Messenger: News
>>>>
>>>> Perhaps the family never let the school know that the girl would be
>>>> accompanied by the dog, just presuming that the school would have to 
>>>> accept
>>>> the dog under the provisions of the ADA, although the law as it applies 
>>>> to
>>>> students attending public schools is not completely straightforward, as 
>>>> far
>>>> as I know.  It's different for a student (child) than it would be, for
>>>> example, for a teacher with a disability who uses a service animal or 
>>>> even a
>>>> parent visitor to the building who uses a service animal.  It will be
>>>> interesting to follow this case and see how it progresses.
>>>>
>>>> Ann
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of minh ha
>>>> Sent: Monday, August 26, 2013 9:43 AM
>>>> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Teacher's allergy disrupts plans for autistic 
>>>> girl,
>>>> service dog - The Athens Messenger: News
>>>>
>>>> I agree with Julie. Something smells super fishy. ... Didn't the 
>>>> article say
>>>> that the teacher wasn't even there on the first day and that somebody 
>>>> else
>>>> told the family that she was allergic to dogs?
>>>>
>>>> Minh
>>>>
>>>> On 8/26/13, Julie J. <julielj at neb.rr.com> wrote:
>>>>> The thing I'm confused about is how the teacher didn't know the girl
>>>>> was going to be accompanied by her service dog.  I'm convinced there
>>>>> had to be IEP meetings.  I'm pretty sure the classroom teacher attends
>>>>> these.  I'm also pretty sure that the topic of the dog would have come
>>>>> up.  Couldn't the
>>>>>
>>>>> teacher have mentioned the allergy so arrangements could have been
>>>>> worked out in advance?  Waiting until the first day of school to
>>>>> figure this out seems like a plan for failure.
>>>>>
>>>>> Or maybe that was the plan all along?
>>>>>
>>>>> Julie
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>> From: Marsha Drenth
>>>>> Sent: Monday, August 26, 2013 11:28 AM
>>>>> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>>>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Teacher's allergy disrupts plans for autistic
>>>>> girl,service dog - The Athens Messenger: News
>>>>>
>>>>> I'd like for one of the legal minds to comment on this. Whose rights
>>>>> have to
>>>>>
>>>>> be  observed here? personally my opinion is that the teacher, needs
>>>>> then to
>>>>>
>>>>> move schools, not eh child. Again that is my opinion. I am curious...
>>>>>
>>>>> Marsha drenth
>>>>> Sent with my IPhone
>>>>>
>>>>> On Aug 25, 2013, at 8:54 AM, "Ginger Kutsch" <GingerKutsch at yahoo.com>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Teacher's allergy disrupts plans for autistic girl, service dog - The
>>>>>> Athens
>>>>>> Messenger: News
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Athens Messenger
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Source:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> http://www.athensohiotoday.com/news/teacher-s-allergy-disrupts-plans-
>>>>>> for-aut
>>>>>> istic-girl-service-dog/article_5b4859e2-a4b1-568a-adb8-acc649e08556.h
>>>>>> tml
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Shyanna Gretz, 6, of The Plains, is seen with her new service dog
>>>>>> Spring last month. After attending her first day of school at
>>>>>> Morrison-Gordon Elementary
>>>>>>
>>>>>> on Monday, the school informed Shyanna's family that their autistic
>>>>>> daughter and service dog would have to transfer schools as Morrison's
>>>>>> K-3 special education
>>>>>>
>>>>>> teacher is severely allergic to dog dander.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> By Sara Brumfield Messenger staff journalist
>>>>>>
>>>>>> As Shyanna Gretz, an autistic 6-year-old from The Plains, and her new
>>>>>> service dog Spring attended their first day of first grade at
>>>>>> Morrison-Gordon Elementary
>>>>>>
>>>>>> on Monday, her family was hoping for a smooth transition into Athens
>>>>>> City Schools. But a special education teacher's severe allergy to dog
>>>>>> dander has caused
>>>>>>
>>>>>> a hiccup in the family's schooling plan.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The Messenger has written several stories about the Gretz family and
>>>>>> their journey to get a service dog for Shyanna, who has had a history
>>>>>> of extreme mood
>>>>>>
>>>>>> fluctuations and wandering off. After two years of fundraising and
>>>>>> waiting, the family welcomed a 1-year-old black Labrador retriever,
>>>>>> Spring, into their
>>>>>>
>>>>>> lives last month.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Since Spring's arrival, Shyanna's mother Charla told The Messenger
>>>>>> that her daughter's moods have been more in line with her peers and
>>>>>> that family outings
>>>>>>
>>>>>> that were once impossible are now achievable.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Shyanna attended kindergarten at Beacon School on West Union Street
>>>>>> last year. Beacon, operated by the Athens County Board of
>>>>>> Developmental Disabilities,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> is a school designed to serve students with special needs in all five
>>>>>> of the county's public school districts.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> According to Charla, it was determined that Shyanna should be
>>>>>> integrated into the Athens City School District this year and the
>>>>>> family made plans for Shyanna
>>>>>>
>>>>>> to attend Morrison-Gordon Elementary, which is located next to Beacon
>>>>>> School.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> However, at the end of the day on Monday, Charla (who plans to attend
>>>>>> school with Shyanna on a daily basis) was told that her daughter
>>>>>> would have to transfer
>>>>>>
>>>>>> to a different elementary school because the K-3 Individualized
>>>>>> Education Plan teacher at Morrison is severely allergic to dog 
>>>>>> dander.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Athens City Schools Supt. Carl Martin told The Messenger on Friday
>>>>>> that only two of the district's four elementary schools have programs
>>>>>> for autistic students
>>>>>>
>>>>>> - Morrison-Gordon and East Elementary. He said that Morrison has two
>>>>>> teachers for the program - one who serves grades K-3 and another
>>>>>> serving grades 4-6
>>>>>>
>>>>>> - and East has one teacher. The district's middle and high schools
>>>>>> also have such programs.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> He said it's not uncommon for special needs students to begin their
>>>>>> education at Beacon School and then move into the public school 
>>>>>> system.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> "We have a fair amount of autistic kids in the district," Martin 
>>>>>> said.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> While switching elementary schools may seem like a simple enough
>>>>>> solution, Charla said her daughter doesn't cope well with change or
>>>>>> riding the school
>>>>>>
>>>>>> bus. She told The Messenger that the bus ride to East Elementary
>>>>>> would be longer and that the change in surroundings could be a
>>>>>> setback for Shyanna.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Martin emphasized that East Elementary is only five miles from the
>>>>>> Gretz's home in The Plains and the bus ride wouldn't be much
>>>>>> different than it is
>>>>>>
>>>>>> to
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Morrison-Gordon.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> According to Martin, he was unaware that the Morrison-Gordon K-3
>>>>>> special education teacher was allergic to dogs until Monday
>>>>>> afternoon. Charla said the
>>>>>>
>>>>>> teacher was out sick on Monday, but the school told her that Shyanna
>>>>>> and Spring could not return to Morrison because of the teacher's 
>>>>>> allergy.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> When asked if returning to Beacon would be an option for Shyanna,
>>>>>> Martin said that would have to be worked out between the family and
>>>>>> Beacon School.
>>>>>> He
>>>>>>
>>>>>> said that it's not uncommon for students to return to Beacon after
>>>>>> they've tried public schools.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The Gretz' youngest child, Conner, attends pre-school at Beacon.
>>>>>> Charla said her son has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
>>>>>> (ADHD) and oppositional
>>>>>>
>>>>>> defiant disorder (ODD).
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Charla said she will meet with members of the Athens City School
>>>>>> District
>>>>>>
>>>>>> on
>>>>>> Sept. 3 regarding their options for Shyanna's schooling. Martin said
>>>>>> the district
>>>>>>
>>>>>> had hoped to meet with the family sooner, but the family's schedule
>>>>>> didn't allow for that.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> "The dog is not the issue," Martin said. "The issue is where can I
>>>>>> serve this child in a program that works for everyone. East is a
>>>>>> wonderful school in
>>>>>>
>>>>>> a wonderful building."
>>>>>>
>>>>>> sbrumfield at athensmessenger.com
>>>>>>
>>>>>> ; Twitter @SaraBmessenger.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>>> ail.com
>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>>
>>>>>
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>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> "All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty
>>>> recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity:
>>>> but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on 
>>>> their
>>>> dreams with open eyes, to make them possible." T. E. Lawrence
>>>>
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>>>
>>>
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