Ripley approves use of therapy dog at school
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Ripley Central School Board of Education members approved the use of a school therapy dog at no cost to the district at their meeting in September.
Luna, owned by district employee Carla Wienke, will be used as an in-district therapy dog during normal school hours. Concurrent with this approval, the board approved Policy 3220, concerning Use of Assistant Animals.
The policy makes the distinction between service animals which are defined as “a dog trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability,” and therapy dogs, which are defined as “a dog that has been trained, evaluated and certified to work with a handler to provide affection and comfort to individuals in a variety of settings, including schools.”
The law requires that therapy dogs not only have a current license and vaccination records, but also have certification from an AKC-recognized therapy dog organization, a copy of an insurance policy providing liability coverage for the dog and handler, and certification from the handler that the dog will be clean, remain under the handler’s control, be supervised, wear a therapy dog ID and not disrupt the educational process by any behavior.
In other business, the board approved Policy 7134, regarding Safeguarding the Rights of Immigrant Students. In the event that a student’s parent or guardian is detained because of immigration issues, the policy prohibits any school personnel from disclosing information about the student or granting immigration authorities access to nonpublic areas of school property unless presented with a federal judicial warrant or court order.
Personnel are also prohibited from granting permission for or allowing the surrender of a student into the custody of an immigrant authority, or assisting immigration authorities in locating, questioning or detaining students.
In another matter the board approved an inter-municipal agreement regarding a shared Transportation Coordinator with Chautauqua Lake Central School and Bemus Point Central School Districts. James Morrison was approved as the Transportation Coordinator.
In her report, Ripley Principal Sara Centanni credited a good opening week of classes to behind-the-scenes preparation. “On behalf of the administrative team, thank you to our district departments for their extraordinary work during the summer months,” she said.
Centanni went on to say that the students have “seamlessly transitioned back into their daily academic and social routines. Across all grade levels, classrooms quickly transformed into focused, productive spaces where meaningful learning is already well under way.” District Superintendent William Caldwell agreed “the district had a great opening to its school year.”
David Graham, Supervisor of Buildings & Grounds reported that the Capital Outlay Project has been completed. New windows have been installed in the pre-K art room, the technology office and in some bathrooms, he said. Also, a small roof leak has been addressed.