The Education System is Still Very Much Lacking

So if you know me, you know that I've been following the story here at Fort Belvoir ES concerning a young boy with a rare seizure disorder and the difficult road he's been down trying to go to school with his service animal. 

This whole circumstance just has me livid.  Nevermind that the school was trying to hide behind some bogus regulation that broke federal ADA law.  Thank GOD this family has the ability to fight this.  But why?  Why do families with special needs children have to constantly fight for what should be easy?  It's so infuriating.

But now, the school is making "accomodations" by allowing the boy to go to school with his service dog on a trial run.  Oh but it gets better.  The first thing I heard, from the media was that it was going to be a six week trial period.  Then I heard 4-6 weeks.  Okay I can see how that could be confused.  But then I heard 3 weeks.  Then I heard 2 weeks.  Don't get me wrong, I understand how information can be lost among the reports.  But now it's a two week trial period where the boy will be going for three days a week; oh but the days are only going to be partial day--that's right not even a full day.  Not to mention, a parent must be with him at all times.  What kind of trial is that?!

First of all the concern supposedly is the boy's ability to "handle" the service animal.  Again, trying to look at it from both sides, I understand the school has to think about the safety of everyone involved.  But this is NOT A PET.  We aren't talking about just any animal.  We are talking about an animal who has had over 1800 hours of training, meaning she's clocked some of the most training hours of all trained service animals.  This dog isn't going to be jumping on other children.  She won't even be asking to be petted from other children.  She's there for the boy and the boy only.

The school is scared.  And they are pushing their fears off on everyone else instead of trying to educate them.  the ignorance is sickening.

Eduation is more than just math, reading and writing.  Education should include compassion and understanding.  No wonder this world is going to the crapper!  No one teaches tolerance, understanding and advocacy.  This school should not be trying to keep the boy and his dog out of the school.  Instead, they should be educating EVERY SINGLE OTHER CHILD about epilepsy, service dogs, how they should act when they come across these things, how they can help and what actions can be done to help society overall.  They aren't eliminating ignorance like our school systems should be.   They are feeding the ignorance.  The very thing that the school system is trying to avoid, they are perpertrators of:  intolerance.  The school is worried about liability and what that one a$$hole parent would do, and in the process feeding the problem.  Shame on the education system.