Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board adopts animals-and-plants policy; committee consulted veterinarians and handlers
Summary
The Haysville Board approved a revised animals-and-plants policy after the committee consulted veterinarians and therapy-animal handlers; the policy defers specific 'signs of stress' determinations to handlers and administrators and notes insurance considerations.
The Haysville Board of Education approved a revised animals-and-plants policy after a multi-stakeholder committee review that included teachers with therapy animals and consultations with local veterinarians.
Committee lead Jillian said the group consulted four local veterinarians and that the committee removed a prescriptive list of "signs of stress," leaving assessment to the animal handler and the administrator. The policy addresses service, therapy and classroom animals and attempts to balance educational use with safety and insurance requirements.
District finance staff cautioned the board about insurance coverage: Craig said the district's insurer would likely not cover an incident if local policy created a loophole inconsistent with state recognition and vaccination requirements. Committee members reported the district currently has one therapy rabbit and five therapy dogs and that the policy covers service animals, therapy animals and classroom pets.
The board moved to adopt the policy as presented and voted 7-0.
