A Yonkers, New York school has barred a service dog from a school. On the surface, that sounds like a problem and an invitation for a lawsuit (particularly in the US considering the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)), but when you hear the details is seems like an entirely logical response.
The "service dog"
A friend recently asked me about having service dogs in classrooms. Her sister, who is a learning resources teacher, told her about an autistic child who will be attending her school with a dog. The dog prevents the child from bolting and helps reduce anxiety. She thought this was an interesting topic because of the
Last fall, I wrote about rabies exposure in a Montana school. The full story has just been published in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports. The brief version of the story is:
One more post about illogical and dangerous activities associated with animals and young children and I’ll hopefully get off the subject for awhile. I came across this daycare’s website today. Keep in mind (again) that the the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that children less than 5 years of age not have contact
Just last week I blogged about concerns regarding young children handling baby chicks in classrooms. Baby chicks are high-risk animals because of the potential for transmission of Salmonella. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that children less than 5 years of age not have contact with baby chicks for this reason.
An annual "ritual" in some schools is hatching chicken eggs in the classroom. This can be a great educational experience for children as they learn about eggs and incubation, watch them hatch and see the baby chicks. It can also be a great source of infection for children if certain precautions are neglected. The picture
My oldest daughter is in Grade 2, and last year her class hatched chicken eggs in the classroom. As a parent, I was somewhat torn about the idea. My main concern was the risk of exposure to Salmonella. A recent article in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports described outbreaks of salmonellosis associated with contact
I’m constantly amazed at what some people do with bats. Bats are a leading cause of human rabies exposure in North America. Despite extensive efforts to educate people about the importance of avoiding contact with bats, some people still either don’t know or don’t take these warnings seriously.
The latest bizarre example of stupid things
Reptiles are common pets, and the risk of transmission of Salmonella from reptiles is fairly well known. Most of the attention regarding Salmonella in these cases involves direct contact with reptiles, especially turtles. However, both direct and indirect contact with other reptiles also carry risk, as can contact with other animals. A recent report about
