CHERRY HILL TWP. — While Ben Shore, 16, and his service dog Charlie were standing outside Cherry Hill High School East Thursday morning, a woman he didn’t know rolled down her car window.
“Ben, have a nice day at school,” she said.
Shore said that he has had support from strangers and students in his fight to be able to bring his goldendoodle service dog to school.
The fight apparently ended this week, when the school administration in an abrupt about-face told Shore he could bring the dog without jumping through the hoops spelled out in their official policy.
After talking with reporters outside the school, a clearly excited Shore joined the flow of students heading inside, accompanied by his father, Eric Shore.
Cherry Hill East Principal Dennis Perry and district spokeswoman Barbara Wilson did not reply to emails or calls seeking comment on what led to the decision to ignore the policy and allow the dog. The school’s security director ordered reporters to leave the property as Shore was approaching the school shortly before 7:30 a.m.
Shore has been confronting the district on its policy, which contradicts some provisions of state and federal service dog laws, since late last year. The Board of Education began considering a revised policy in January that was more in line with the law, but still added a few caveats that service dog experts said were not legal.
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Shore being allowed to bring the dog Thursday is not a result of any board action, he said, but appears to be an administrative decision.
The teen, who is on the autism spectrum and has trained Charlie to help him overcome panic attacks, had informed the school principal last week that he was planning to bring the dog to school despite being told not to. He also told members of the media that he would bring the dog Thursday.
In an email to Shore’s father late Tuesday, Perry said that he understood Shore was planning to bring his service dog Thursday and he wanted to meet with them to talk about a plan for “relieving” the dog during the day. He asked for only the documentation allowed under state law, contrary to the school policy that requires proof of formal training.
Perry also informed parents and students about the service dog coming to school in a letter posted on the school website. The letter said that students should not pet or feed a working service dog.
Outside the school Thursday, Shore admitted that the dog will likely be a distraction at first, even though he will be quiet and out of the way.
“He’s going to chill under my desk and just lay there,” he said.
He said he was a little worried that some students who oppose the dog being in school might confront him about it, but others have been eager for him to bring in Charlie.
Eric Shore said that after all his efforts to bring his dog to school, his son got nervous Wednesday night about the prospect of actually doing it.
“He never thought it’d be reality,” Eric Shore, an attorney, said Thursday.
“This is his idea, his battle. He saw what he thought was an injustice and he tried to rectify it,” Eric Shore said. “And it looks like he did.”
Whether there will be problems with other students having allergies or other issues with the dog remains to be seen. Perry’s letter to the school community says parents should contact the nurse about any allergy concerns.
The Americans with Disabilities Act says that allergies are not a good reason to exclude a service dog from a public space. If someone has an allergy, the two parties should be placed in different parts of a room or building, it says.
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One mother in the district has real concerns about any dog being brought to school because her son, a kindergartener, has been diagnosed with anaphylaxis to dogs.
Ashley Misinkavitch said that she does not want to stop Shore bringing his dog to the high school. She feels that her son deserves accommodation too because his allergy can be life-threatening as it makes it hard for him to breathe and has required hospitalization.
The district would have to be able to guarantee that Parker, 5, would not be on the same bus that Shore rode with his dog, she said. State law says service dogs must be allowed on school buses.
Service dog experts have said that a dog could be excluded from a school if no other accommodations could prevent it from posing a direct threat to a child with a life-threatening allergy.
It’s not clear what action if any the Board of Education will take on its current service dog policy. The original version required proof of formal training and said a dog could be replaced with a teaching aide if a student had an allergy, both of which contradict federal law.
A service animal, defined as a dog individually trained to perform work or a task for someone with a disability, can be trained by their owners.
Shore said he trained his dog to sense an oncoming panic attack, comfort and distract him by lying on him or licking his face, and to bark for help if necessary.
He is also pushing for a bill Called Charlie’s Law to impose criminal fines on those who deny access to someone with a service dog. Charlie’s paw actually cast a vote for the bill when it passed the Assembly Jan. 23.
Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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