District to allow student to bring service dog into school

CORTLAND — If Krystal Wilson says the sky is red, the sky is red.

"Even if you tell her it's blue, she will argue with you until the end of time that it's not," said her mother, Michelle Wilson. "She will disagree just for the heck of it."

The 11-year-old is not unlike other fifth-grade students. She loves spending time with her friends and family and playing outside.

Her spurts of combative behavior and moments of excessive arguing are results of oppositional defiance disorder –  a condition that affects 5 percent to 15 percent of school-age children, according to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. She also has attention-deficit hyperactive disorder, which makes her easily distracted and unable to focus easily on any one concept.

That changed when Krystal received a service dog in November 2008. Bella, a 2-year-old greyhound mix, stays by Krystal's side to detect when she begins to exhibit signs of either or both of her two conditions.

Krystal's mother did not anticipate that there would be a setback in sending the two to school together. She was wrong.

"We had talked with the school district before we even received the dog, and we didn't foresee any problems," Michelle Wilson said. "It's just been a battle. All I want is what's best for my daughter."


Canine in class

The Wilsons' initial requests for Krystal's service dog to join her in classes at Cortland Elementary School were denied this academic year. Michelle Wilson has publicly and repeatedly asked DeKalb school board members to revisit the issue.

Area school districts decide whether to allow a student's service dog into classrooms on a case-by-case basis, administrators said. Superintendents in the Genoa-Kingston and Sycamore school districts have not faced such a request before, they said, but would allow a service animal if a student's need called for one.

While she declined to discuss Krystal's case specifically, Kari Cremascoli, assistant superintendent of support services for DeKalb Schools, said many factors — including the building, other students and a child's specific medical need or disability — must be considered before making the call of whether to allow a student's service animal in.

"There are specific procedures set up for the school team in particular when looking at what reasonable services can be provided to a student trying to access our programming," Cremascoli said. "It is our responsibility to evaluate a student's educational needs ... and make sure what they are requesting is a reasonable accommodation that doesn't create an undo burden on the administration or alter why that entity is there in the first place."

Administrators at Huntley Middle School, where Krystal will be next academic year, decided Tuesday that the service dog will be allowed during the mornings starting in the fall. On Wednesday, she began bringing Bella to Cortland school for part of the day.

"If it goes well next year, they may extend services to the afternoon," Michelle Wilson said of what she considers a "trial period" at Huntley.

Accommodations to a student's daily curriculum — such as extended time on a test, or in Krystal's case, a service dog — are noted in his or her personal education plan. These plans are created for students with physical or mental disabilities with the intention of leveling the playing field with other students.

There are currently no service dogs in Genoa-Kingston schools, Superintendent Scott Wakeley said, but therapy dogs have visited with students during the year. If a particular child needed a dog as an accommodation, it would be necessary to educate teachers, students and other staff about the animal and its training, he said.

"Overall, my thought would be, if somebody needs to have a service dog, obviously it's going to help them function," Wakeley said. " ... If there is any value, or helps the student in an educational setting, I don't know why we wouldn't allow it. I think I would have to be convinced why it would be a bad idea."

Any community member, employee or parent visiting a DeKalb school with a service animal would be allowed access, Cremascoli said, but the issue is different than that of a student being accompanied in class by a service animal.

"The purpose of our classrooms is educational in nature and we are obligated by the Free Appropriate Public Education to provide that to individuals," she said. "Accessing our classrooms during the school day is somewhat limited and there are limitations for everyone in how they access them."


Krystal: Meet Bella


Krystal's disorders are essentially chemical imbalances in the brain, Michelle Wilson said, and Bella can tell when her levels change.

"It was like night and day," Michelle Wilson said, of when Krystal received Bella. "It's like a switch went off in her head and she actually cared about something. She became responsible for something besides constantly focusing on what she did that was 'bad.' She is responsible for something beyond her."

Service animals are not considered pets. By definition, they are trained to meet the needs of their handlers, according to the Americans with Disabilities Act. Federal laws protect the rights of those with disabilities to be accompanied by their service animals in public places.

"Bella is a service dog. She's prescribed and she is part of a therapy plan for a disability," Michelle Wilson said. "Just because it's a disability you can't see doesn't mean it's not a disability."

A school district deciding whether a service animal should be in class with a student is not meant to evade a doctor's prescription, Cremascoli said.

"In most instances, we almost always would consider a doctor's input on that," she said. "But doctors, not being familiar with our buildings, students and what natural supports are available ... it comes down to the school team. In every instance, they have been very thorough."

Any person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity might be a candidate for a service dog, according to the American Service Dog Association.

Service animals have a unique bond with their handlers that is nurtured because the animal is constantly at the handler's side.

When Bella senses Krystal's imbalances, or a pending eruption of emotion, she indicates so by placing her paw in Krystal's lap. If Krystal does not change her behavior, Bella places her head on her lap. If it continues, she crawls into Krystal's lap.

Bella's separation from Krystal during the school day means the two will have to re-form the bond this summer and undergo special training again, Michelle Wilson said.

Having Bella allows Krystal to lower her dose of medication, stay on task while completing schoolwork, and sleep during the night, she said.

"Sometimes when I start to get mad or something, or if I can't concentrate, she helps," Krystal said. "She gets me to pay attention when I'm not. She just calms me."