[Njagdu] Interesting information that may be helpful to someone.

[Trish Ebel]

    While working with one of the Bergen county school districts we came across this problem, so I just wanted to share some helpful information.

In a situation where one student is allergic to dogs and another uses a service dog, the student using the service animal should be accommodated. However, there needs to be some thought given to the student with allergies. When they are in a class together, they should be spacially separated. Here is just such an idea from the Department of Justice's document, Revised ADA Requirements; Service Animals. This is in regard to the new regulations published in 2010.

 

  a.. Allergies and fear of dogs are not valid reasons for denying access or refusing service to people using service animals. When a person who is allergic to dog dander and a person who uses a service animal must spend time in the same room or facility, for example, in a school classroom or at a homeless shelter, they both should be accommodated by assigning them, if possible, to different locations within the room or different rooms in the facility.
http://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm

 

The Job Accommodation Network has suggestions for this kind of scenario in the workplace. Some of those ideas would not and cannot work in a school setting, but some of them might help to improve the situation. For example, perhaps a portable air purifier could be used in the class room and/or a HEPA filter could be used for the ventilation system for that room. Also, perhaps the student with the service animal could agree to use a dander control product from the veterinarian or local pet store. The school could also make for certain that the class room is cleaned regularly; dusted, vacuumed, floors washed, etc. Here is the link to the JAN document.

http://askjan.org/corner/vol02iss01.htm



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