This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2005, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
WASHINGTON - Sarah Garvin and her dog, Satin, are a team. When Sarah, 15, a special-education student, goes to the doctor, Satin goes, too. At Sarah's therapeutic horseback-riding class, Satin waits outside the ring. During Sarah's elementary school years, the dog accompanied her to class several days a week, and the principal even introduced the 60-pound black Labrador retriever mix as ''our new staff member.''
But Satin, a trained assistance dog, is not allowed at Sarah's school under a long-standing policy that bans most animals. That decision has focused attention on the question of how far a school system should go in meeting the needs of disabled students.
John and Melodee Garvin, Sarah's parents, asked that Satin be allowed to attend school one hour a week to help Sarah, who has Down syndrome and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, in her speech pathology class. But school officials said no.
The first reason school officials gave for refusing the request was ''dog dander,'' Melodee Garvin said. ''Then it was, 'Sarah is doing well and needs no special accommodations.' ''
