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Board approves revisions to 'Animals in Schools' policy to align with ADA; regulation clarifies documentation for nonservice animals
Summary
Following a second reading, the governing board approved revisions to policy IMG and regulation IMG‑R to clarify service-animal access under the Americans with Disabilities Act and to add documentation and nonservice-animal procedures; the motion passed 5-0 as amended.
The Catalina Foothills Unified School District Governing Board approved revised language to policy IMG and regulation IMG‑R (Animals in Schools) after a second reading and an amendment to reorder a paragraph for clarity.
Dr. Bartlett said the policy language was updated to align with the Americans with Disabilities Act and to explicitly state that service animals are allowed on school buses and other district vehicles. The accompanying regulation was revised to address nonservice animals and to list documentation requirements for animals brought onto campus. Board members discussed the ordering of paragraphs so the regulation’s documentation requirements would clearly apply to any animal brought onto campus (service or nonservice).
A board member moved approval of the revisions “as amended” to reorder the introductory language; another board member seconded the motion. The board approved the revisions by voice vote, recorded as 5-0.
Board discussion during the item clarified that documentation (vaccination records, proof of licensure where applicable, and any other appropriate paperwork) would be provided to the principal prior to approval and that the intent was to make the presence of animals on campus safer for students, staff and the animals themselves. Members agreed the regulation would continue to differentiate between service animals (covered by ADA) and nonservice animals (subject to principal approval and documentation requirements).
Ending: The board recorded the amendment and adopted the updated policy and regulation; the district will include the corrected legal citations and final formatting at the next posting.
