Categories | Lawsuits & Litigation Article

Wonder The Dog Goes To School

February 24th, 2017 • Lawsuits & Litigation • 2 minute read
Article Image
Author Sara E. Teller

Wonder The Dog Goes To School

These days, pooches are allowed to accompany their owners just about anywhere.  There are dog friendly malls, lap dogs with airplane passengers, and small dogs often peek out from hand bags.  Dogs are welcomed into public for the enjoyment of their owners.  So, when service dogs are needed to assist with physical needs, it should go without saying that the canines should be allowed to accompany their owners.  However, Ezra Eby Elementary School in the Napoleon School District of Jackson, Michigan, banned a 13 year old girl, Ehlena Fry, with cerebral palsy from bringing her service dog to school with her. School officials figured that the girl was being sufficiently helped by staff members, and didn't need additional assistance from the golden doodle, Wonder.  Wonder has been trained to help Fry pick up dropped items, go through doorways, operate light switches and take off her jacket.  The girl's pediatrician had told her family the canine should stay with his owner at all times so maintain their friendly connection.  A strong bond would be maintained if the two were near each other as much as possible.

Image Courtesy of Molly Riley/AP Image Courtesy of Molly Riley/AP

When the case hit the lower courts, decision makers had ruled that the family would need to exhaust remedies available under the IDEA law first.  So the Supreme Court Justice's decision was a relief to the Frys and what they had been waiting to hear.  Judge Kagan focused more on Ehlena's basic rights to an education equal to her peers.  She decided that the ultimate goal of providing the girl with more physical and emotional independence while pursuing her education was simply more important in the long run. "Nothing in the nature of the Fry's suit suggests any implicit focus on the adequacy of [Ehlena's] education," Kagan wrote in her judgement.  "The Frys could have filed essentially the same complaint if a public library or theater had refused admittance to Wonder."  Even with the unanimous decision of the Supreme Court, a lower federal court could attempt to ensure the Fry exhaust all avenues under IDEA.  For now, Wonder will be beside Fry in the school's halls.Sources:Supreme Court rules for girl who wanted to bring her service dog to schoolThe OpinionGirl, 13, wins Supreme Court case regarding service dog 
Sara E. Teller

About Sara E. Teller

Sara is a credited freelance writer, editor, contributor, and essayist, as well as a novelist and poet with nearly twenty years of experience. A seasoned publishing professional, she's worked for newspapers, magazines and book publishers in content digitization, editorial, acquisitions and intellectual property. Sara has been an invited speaker at a Careers in Publishing & Authorship event at Michigan State University and a Reading and Writing Instructor at Sylvan Learning Center. She has an MBA degree with a concentration in Marketing and an MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, graduating with a 4.2/4.0 GPA. She is also a member of Chi Sigma Iota and a 2020 recipient of the Donald D. Davis scholarship recognizing social responsibility. Sara is certified in children's book writing, HTML coding and social media marketing. Her fifth book, PTSD: Healing from the Inside Out, was released in September 2019 and is available on Amazon. You can find her others books there, too, including Narcissistic Abuse: A Survival Guide, released in December 2017.

Related Articles