An individualized education plan (IEP) helps a student with special needs to attend public school. The IEP lists their medical, social and developmental challenges, as well as the accommodations the school agrees to provide to help them succeed in a class environment.
IEP accommodations often include testing support or the assistance of a one-on-one aide. Accommodations can help students overcome medical or developmental disabilities and achieve the same academic success as their peers.
Service dogs are a useful resource for people with various medical challenges. Can an IEP allow a student to bring a service dog to public school in New York?
Service dog support could be an option
In theory, as a public institution, a school in New York generally must allow those with disabling medical conditions to have a service animal present to support their medical needs. However, there is a potential complication in cases where children need the assistance of a service time.
In many cases, the student is not the trained handler who issues commands and works with the animal. Instead, their parent or primary medical caregiver may be the person trained as the animal’s handler. A service animal without a handler cannot offer the support that the student requires.
The details of their dog’s training, the age of the student and a few other key details determine whether or not a student may be eligible to bring the service dog with them to school. Reviewing an animal’s training and the functions it provides with an educational attorney can help parents determine if a service dog could be part of their child’s IEP.