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Utah Code Title 53G. Public Education System--Local Administration § 53G-9-211. Therapy animal handling--Policy

Current as of January 01, 2025 | Updated by Findlaw Staff

(1) As used in this section:

(a) “Animal-assisted intervention” means an intervention designed to promote improvement in an individual's physical, social, emotional, or cognitive functioning through interactions with a specially trained animal.

(b) “Local education agency” means a school district or charter school.

(c)(i) “Therapy animal” means an animal that:

(A) provides affection and comfort to an individual for emotional support;

(B) is accompanied by a therapy animal handler; and

(C) is trained to provide animal-assisted intervention.

(ii) “Therapy animal” does not include a service animal or support animal as those terms are defined in Section 26B-6-801.

(d) “Therapy animal handler” means an individual who is trained to handle a therapy animal for animal-assisted interventions.

(2)(a) If a school within a local education agency provides animal-assisted interventions through therapy animals, the local education agency shall adopt a policy for proper handling of a therapy animal on school grounds.

(b) The policy described in Subsection (2)(a) shall include:

(i) local or national certification or registration requirements for a therapy animal and therapy animal handler;

(ii) guidelines for when a therapy animal and therapy animal handler are allowed on school grounds;

(iii) notice requirements for parents, students, and school faculty and staff regarding the use of a therapy animal on school grounds; and

(iv) guidelines to prevent students and staff who have an animal allergy or are uncomfortable around animals from interacting with a therapy animal on school grounds.

(3) This section does not require a school to allow the use of a therapy animal.

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Cite this article: FindLaw.com - Utah Code Title 53G. Public Education System--Local Administration § 53G-9-211. Therapy animal handling--Policy - last updated January 01, 2025 | https://codes.findlaw.com/ut/title-53g-public-education-system-local-administration/ut-code-sect-53g-9-211/

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