Department-wide
This procedure outlines the measures schools must take to provide reasonable adjustments and manage risks for students who are using animals as part of their support at school. This procedure does not apply to classroom pets or animals that are used for other purposes addressed in the Animals in Queensland state schools procedure.
An assistance animal is a dog or other animal that is trained to assist a person with disability to alleviate the effects of the disability. They must meet standards of hygiene and behaviour that are appropriate for an animal in a public place. Assistance animals and their owners have public access rights that are protected by law. A student with disability may be entitled to have their assistance animal accompany them at school and school-related events held off school premises.
In some circumstances, animals that are not an assistance animal (support animals such as companion animals or reading dogs) may provide supports to students. A support animal is a fully trained animal that is used to support student independence, learning or wellbeing. The principal will make a decision on a case-by-case basis, in consultation with the relevant parties involved, whether this support will occur at school. People accompanied by support animals do not have public access rights. This means a support animal may not be able to attend public places as part of school events (for example, an awards night held at a community hall) or accompany students on public transport without permission from the appropriate person or organisation.
Refer to the flowchart Considering a request from a parent/carer to use an animal to support their child at school for a summary of this process.
Assistance animals are defined by the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cwlth). For the purpose of this procedure, assistance animals must be:
Support animals will have:
Term
Definition
Assistance animal
An assistance animal is a dog or other animal:
Assistance animals will include guide dogs, hearing dogs and assistance dogs for the purposes of the Guide, Hearing and Assistance Dogs Act 2009 (Qld).
Disability
The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cwlth) definition of disability, in relation to a person, means:
and includes a disability that:
To avoid doubt, a disability that is otherwise covered by this definition includes behaviour that is a symptom or manifestation of the disability.
Reasonable adjustment
An adjustment is a measure or action taken to assist a student with disability to participate in education on the same basis as other students. An adjustment is reasonable if it achieves this purpose while taking into account the student’s learning needs and balancing the interests of all parties affected, including those of the student with disability, the education provider, staff and other students (definition from Disability Standards for Education 2005 (Cwlth)).
Support animal
For the purpose of this procedure, support animal is a collective term for a fully trained animal that is used to support student independence, learning or wellbeing. Support animals include reading dogs, therapy and companion animals.
Support animals do not include wildlife, class pets, livestock or animals used for scientific purposes.
Unjustifiable hardship
An education provider does not have to carry out an obligation under the Disability Standards for Education 2005 (Cwlth) as outlined in section 10.2 if that obligation would cause unjustifiable hardship.
For the purposes of this procedure, unjustifiable hardship might include interference with the good order and management of the school. For example, too many students requesting assistance animals could unreasonably hinder school operations as a consequence or where there are students with a genuine fear of dogs and it is not possible to keep the dogs separated from the student in fear.
Previous seven years shown. Minor version updates not included.
3.0 Assistance Animals in Schools
4.0 Assistance Animals in Schools
5.0 Assistance Animals in Schools
6.0 Assistance animals and support animals at school procedure
For further information, please contact your regional office.
Uncontrolled copy. Refer to the Department of Education Policy and Procedure Register to ensure you have the most current version of this document.
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