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Sunday, May 19, 2013 | 7:03 p.m.

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IMAGES: 2 years later, service dog is allowed at school

 

 
  • It has taken more than two years, but a Catawba County mom said her disabled son can finally take his service dog to school.
  • She filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education, and on Tuesday, she told Eyewitness News the fight was worth it.
  • The boy is a kindergartner at Startown Elementary in Catawba County.
  • Jennifer Silva says her adopted son, Ayden, suffers from a birth defect known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
  • The dog, named Chatham, has undergone months of specialized training to keep Ayden calm when he starts to get anxious or worked up.
  • But at the beginning of the school year the district would not allow Chatham in the classroom believing he would interfere with the services, programs, and activities of the school.
  • Eyewitness News had learned the school district has now reached an agreement to allow Chatham into the school and for educators here to undergo training on the dog.
  • Silva hopes that Chatham will be in the classroom in about two weeks.
 

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