Distinguishing Service Animals From Emotional Support Animals: What Educators Need to Know

If a student with a disability wishes to bring an animal to school and explains that the animal is needed to help with their disability, what are school employees legally required to do? This article provides three vignettes to illustrate key legal principles and provides practical recommendations. An increasing number of students are asking to bring animals to schools, which has resulted in many legal dilemmas. For example, what should educators do if a student wishes to bring a pet python to school because the snake eases their anxiety? Vignette 1 clarifies that not every animal is permitted in schools. Importantly, the law differentiates between emotional support animals (ESAs) and service animals (SAs). School employees may also be concerned that they will have to care for the animals, such as taking dogs outside to use the bathroom. Therefore, Vignette 2 addresses school employees’ responsibilities surrounding SAs. Legal problems also arise when school employees must balance conflicting student needs. For instance, how should educators respond when some students are allergic or fearful of animals? Vignette 3 explains how school employees can reasonably accommodate students even when they have conflicting needs.