Animals in School

Anyone who has ever given away a pet knows the emotional pain and the delicate family politics involved. Imagine a parent’s dilemma when the animal in question is the school mascot or the hamsters in the classroom science corner. In spite of sleepless nights and mounting doctor bills, parents are sometimes reluctant to risk alienating their child’s teacher and classmates by asking them to give away a classroom pet. Other parents say their children’s symptoms go unnoticed and their pleas for cooperation are dismissed. If this sounds familiar, the following advice is for you.

Know the facts
All warm-blooded animals can cause allergic reactions. Animal allergen is in the dander, saliva, and urine. Allergen particles become airborne and accumulate in carpets, upholstery, and fabrics and on books, desks, and walls.

Allergen particles land in the eyes and are inhaled into the nose and lungs. On the skin they can cause itchy rashes, eczema, and hives. They can cause a range of allergies and illnesses such as allergic rhinitis, asthma, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, conjunctivitis, and chronic sinus and ear infections.

Damp or wet surfaces are a breeding ground for molds, mildews, bacteria, and insects, especially if cages or other animal areas are not cleaned properly. Sensitive airways are also affected by the odors from urine, cedar chips, room deodorizers, disinfectant sprays, and the flea powders or insecticides used to control fleas and ticks.

"Carpets in the room become a trap for animal dander and are a potential reservoir for biological contaminants," says Martin A. Cohen, S.C.D., C.I.H., senior scientist for Environmental Health and Engineering, a company that specializes in indoor air quality. Animal biology labs with independent room ventilation units that exhaust the air to the outside are less likely to cause problems. Cohen knows one school system that houses its animals in a separate building. Some schools allow only turtles, hermit crabs, fish, lizards, or snakes. Others limit animal visits and pet parades to outdoor areas.

Once furry animals are introduced into a school, removal does not immediately stop allergy problems. A central ventilating system can contaminate the entire school. Even after a thorough cleaning, the allergens persist for months. Vacuuming just stirs up the particles. Steam cleaning and vacuuming with a vacuum enhanced by an HEPA (high efficiency particle accumulator) filter may reduce, but not totally eliminate, the allergens.

Know your school
Read the school manual. Knowing the district’s official position on animals can help you identify your goal. Find out who is responsible for decisions that affect your child. Start with a letter to the principal. Explain that furry animals undermine your child’s health and ability to attend school. If your school principal isn’t helpful, go higher.

You can ask the pupil services or special education director how to get consideration for your child’s allergies or to influence practices that you feel disadvantage your child.

Is your school ignoring district policy? Contact the superintendent about implementing policies. Is there no policy or does the policy need updating? (Some school policies only provide for advance notice of animal visits so that allergic students can stay home.) Contact the town’s board of education about changing policies or developing new ones.

Be pro-health, not anti-animal
The experts agree: "Environmental control to reduce exposure to indoor allergens is a critical component of asthma management... Avoiding allergen exposure reduces symptoms, the need for medication, and the level of airway hyper-responsiveness." (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Asthma Education and Prevention Program, Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma.) In other words, exposure to an animal can make allergic people sick. Avoiding animals helps them get better.

Your physician’s letter for the school records should be more than a list of allergies and medications. The letter should read something like this: "Eliminating allergens and irritants at school is a necessary part of Mary’s asthma and allergy treatment."

Work with your school nurse
Her professional license and practice standards make this person your best ally and advocate. Her role is to document student health needs and plan necessary services and adaptations. Your physician’s letter is her guide to eliminating your child’s allergic triggers and asthma aggravators at school. Where there is no school nurse, contact the health officer at your local board of health who investigates environmental health problems and enforces standards.

Keep track of peak expiratory flow rates as measured by a peak flow meter both at home and at school. Good records teach school staff about a child’s airway changes and demonstrate the effect of allergens and irritants in the classroom. If you have an individualized health plan (IHP), be sure it includes a peak flow meter and a daily symptom diary.

Provide resources that help the school nurse educate the school community about allergies, and advocate for health and environmental standards that benefit everyone. Many teachers and parents may not be aware that coughing, wheezing, sneezing, shortness of breath, rashes, hives, red and watery eyes, a runny nose, or unusual irritability may be signs of allergy.

To cope with occasional animal visits, your doctor may recommend using cromolyn eye drops and a few puffs of cromolyn sodium (Intal®) to block an allergic reaction. Whether this approach may help your child depends on his current health and the intensity of the exposure. Someone should stand by prepared to administer the appropriate medication if your child has a severe reaction.

You are not alone
Allergies to animals are common. Work as a team to share concerns, get input from staff and other parents and students, review standards in other districts, and develop recommendations for your school.

Advocate for your child
By law, schools must be accessible and safe for all students. If your child is allergic to animals, you have the right to ask the school to prohibit or remove animals that make your child sick.

Some administrators may be unsure what to do when the school environment or staff practices affect someone’s health. They may not know that federal law protects students with allergies and asthma. Share the free pamphlet "The Civil Rights of Students with Hidden Disabilities under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973" (U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, 550 12th Street SW, Washington, DC 20202).

If you get no support from the principal or district authorities, contact your state department of education. Tell your story to the Section 504 specialist in the pupil services or law division. You can also call your regional office of the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (DOE-OCR) for information and advice. If all else fails, make a formal complaint to OCR that the school is violating your child’s right to a free and appropriate public education.

Companion dogs
Both Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) require schools to serve students who have a companion dog or service animal and students with allergies. Before class placements, schedules, and other decisions are made, schools must take into account all students who need individual consideration. A collaborative approach to problem solving can expand the school’s options and help avoid potential conflicts.

This article was written by Ellie Goldberg, an educational rights specialist and founder of "Healthy Kids: The Key to Basics," which promotes health and education equity for students with asthma and other chronic health conditions. For more information, call 617-965-9637.