PORT ANGELES — If a new rule is approved in June, classroom pets no longer will be allowed in Port Angeles School District schools, a move that could send myriad rabbits, snakes and baby chicks home for good.
The board voted 4-1 to approve the rule this week in the first of two readings before the rule can be applied.
A final vote will be taken at the June 11 School Board meeting after the second reading.
“Why can’t we have a classroom gerbil?” School Board member Sarah Methner asked.
“It’s a varmint,” said Lonnie Linn, board vice president and a member of the committee that created the wording for the new rule change.
Methner was the lone director who voted against the change.
“It’s a nanny state gone wild,” she said.
The rule change was prompted by complaints against a few teachers, Superintendent Jane Pryne said.
“People were bringing dogs to school and letting them run in the hallways,” Pryne said.
It didn’t happen frequently, and the problem was limited to a few individuals, but it was a problem that had to stop for the safety of the students, she said.
What began as a dog problem quickly turned into a larger issue.
When the first draft of the new rule specifically addressing dogs was reviewed by the school district’s legal and insurance teams, it was made clear to the committee that almost any animal in the classroom is an unacceptable risk, Linn said.
The new district policy was driven by legal and insurance advice and requirements, he said.
The guide from the state Department of Health provided by the school district includes recommendations for the care of animals in the classrooms, handwashing, parental notification and other safety measures but does not ban animals in the classroom.
“Children who have allergies or asthma may react unfavorably to exposure,” the health and safety guide says.
“Feces, urine, fur, feathers, preservatives and feed may adversely affect indoor air quality if allowed into a classroom.”
Committee debate on the rules change was contentious, Linn said, but eventually, they arrived with the wording that was presented to the School Board.
The rule will not affect service animals, reading dogs and family pets brought in by students’ families for “show and tell,” Linn said.
Linn said certain types of animals living in the classroom were a greater risk than others.
“We cannot have any animal that can transmit salmonella,” he said.
The list of animals that can carry salmonella includes birds, rodents, reptiles and amphibians.
“You can have fish,” he said.
Methner, who also has children in district schools, said several of her children’s teachers had animals in the classroom, which provided a chance for children who don’t have animals at home to learn the responsibility of caring for pets.
Additionally, the pets provide a bonding experience for children positive motivation as students compete to get to bring the classroom pet home to care for it on weekends, she said.
On Wednesday, Pryne said she doesn’t expect that the animal ban will be as complete as it sounded during the discussion at Monday’s meeting.
Dry Creek Elementary School has a program where students raise chicks in a 4-H-type educational program, Linn said.
Linn said that under his interpretation of the rule, the chicks will have to go.
Pryne disagreed and said that if they are part of an educational program, the chicks and some other classroom animals may be able to stay, with the permission of the building principals.
No one knows exactly how many classroom animals there are in the district, she said.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
