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The Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District recently updated its rules regarding dogs on campus, derailing aspects of Valley Humane Society’s Canine Comfort Pet-Assisted Therapy program.
The policy adjustments, which included parent notification and insurance requirements, was meant to detail the process of having dogs on campus, according to LVJUSD coordinator of community engagement Michelle Dawson.
But the protocol also bans emotional support animals from carpeted areas in schools, including libraries and wellness centers where students and dogs typically interact for VHS programs.
Given the therapy dogs’ incorrect classification, the policy has reduced the local nonprofit’s program in Livermore to scraps, according to Valley Humane Society President Melanie Sadek.
For a group that has served LVJUSD students with pet-assisted therapy for over 20 years with a spotless track record, the policy change has come as a shock to VHS, Sadek said.
But, according to LVJUSD Superintendent Torie Gibson, the whole thing is a misunderstanding, as the district intends to change nothing about the VHS program.
“For our purposes at Valley Humane, we’re really just fighting for pet-assisted therapy animals because they’re well trained, they’re there to provide a service,” Sadek said. “It’s not just like a ‘fun to have’ on the campus.”
At the center of this conflict is a policy Gibson emailed to LVJUSD staff on Oct. 30.
It says that interactions with emotional support dogs must occur outdoors or in a multipurpose room, away from food services. The indoor area must be sanitized after every visit.
Though not included in the message to staff, the policy also says that service animals can accompany individuals with disabilities on school premises.
“The modifications to protocols are about what we are doing internally and will not affect the VH volunteers,” Dawson told Livermore Vine.
She added, “In doing so, there was some concern from Valley Humane that this would impact their Paws to Read program, however, after recent conversations between Dr. Gibson and Ms. Sadek, they have been reassured that the program will continue as it has.”
Sadek agreed that parental approval and notification as well as insurance coverage are reasonable parts of the protocol.
But rules on therapy animals are not included in the policy and it appears they’ve been misclassified as emotional support animals, she said. In reality, therapy dogs are not considered service animals or emotional support animals, according to the American Kennel Club website.
Already on hold as a result of the rules is Paws to Read, a part of VHS programming that allows struggling students to read to therapy dogs in the library.
Paws to Read has historically been hosted with librarian supervision and cannot be moved into the multipurpose room, Sadek said. Relocating would require carting books, finding school staff to oversee the program and the sometimes difficult task of reserving the space, she explained.
“Schools just are opting to not do Paws to Read right now because they can’t figure out the logistics to make it happen,” Sadek said.
Similarly, visits to special counseling sessions have stopped, according to Sadek, who explained that a multipurpose room is not equipped for pet-assisted therapy sessions, as these confidential meetings require privacy.
“Some of our programs could continue, like we could do finals weeks because that’s outside, but for the most part a lot of our programs have had to stop based on this existing policy,” she added.
When asked why the policy changed, Sadek said Gibson blamed a bite by a non-VHS, certified dog at Marylin Avenue STEAM Academy.
Dawson denied to Livermore Vine the allegation of a dog bite. Instead, the district says insurance requirements are at the root of the policy update.
The alleged bite sparked involvement by the district’s insurance provider Keenan and caused the company to reevaluate the presence of dogs on campus, according to Sadek.
The principal of Marylin did not respond to a request for comment as of Tuesday afternoon.
At a school board meeting on Nov. 12, Gibson attempted to reassure everyone that insurance requirements were behind the district policy shift.
“One of the biggest pieces for us is we do need to provide an opt-out for students and we now have that in place, so I’m confident that we will be able to come up with a game plan so that we can carry on — mostly — with how you’re used to doing business, but also being in alignment with our insurance,” Gibson told the VHS volunteers who spoke during public comment that night.
Sadek and Gibson are set to discuss the policy again on Dec. 2.
“We greatly value the partnership between the Valley Humane Society and our district and look forward to continuing to work together,” Dawson said.
