517.02: Service Animal Policy

The following policy is designed to provide guidance regarding the use of service animals by enrolled students with disabilities on the campus of Enterprise State Community College (ESCC), and the Alabama Aviation College (AAC).

Students are highly encouraged to register their service animal with the ADA Office in the BWC/Snuggs Hall at the Enterprise Campus with ADA Coordinator, Dava Foster by submitting a Service Animal Registration Form and documentation of current vaccinations. Although a student is not required to register a service animal, it is highly encouraged for the safety of students and the service animal.

ADA regulations require that service animals be individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability. The work or task must be directly related to the handler’s disability. ESCC cannot ask about the nature of a person’s disability, require medical documentation, or require a special identification card or training documentation for the service animal. The ADA regulations define a service animal to be a canine or a miniature horse. Guard dogs or emotional support animals are not included as part of the ADA’s definition of a service animal. Pets that do not provide a service to a person with a disability are not permitted.

Responsibilities of Students Using Service Animals

ESCC and AAC permits service animals, which are individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability, on campus and in its public facilities, subject to the following conditions:

The service animal has the appropriate and current vaccinations. For example, dogs would require proof of current rabies vaccination and/or rabies tags.
Students/handlers will ensure the good conduct, health, care, and protection of their service animal. For example, cleanliness of the service dog is essential with adequate preventative measures taken.
The service animal should be house-broken (i.e. trained so that absent illness or accident, the animal controls its waste elimination).
The service animal should be kept under control at all times and on a leash, tether, or harness in public areas (except where these devices interfere with the service animal’s task or the individual’s disability prevents using these devices, the service animal must still be under control through voice control, signals, or other effective means).
Student/handler is responsible for any damage done by the animal and for the upkeep and cleanliness of any area traversed or occupied by the animal.
The student/handler is responsible for the immediate removal and proper disposal of all fecal matter and other waste of the service animal.
It is the student handler’s responsibility to update all service animal documentation records on an annual basis, for example rabies vaccination records and/or other appropriate and current vaccinations. The College has the authority to remove a service animal when the student/handler or service animal fails to meet the conditions of this document. A service animal may be excluded from the campus if the animal is disruptive or poses a direct threat to the health and/or safety of others. The College and its employees shall be held harmless in the event that the animal damages property or causes harm to anyone on campus.

Service animals may be required to wear protective gear or be denied access to sterile surgical rooms, areas with hazardous machinery, research laboratories containing chemicals or biological substances that could potentially harm a service animal, on a case-by-case basis.

It is the student/handler’s responsibility to inform others that the animal is a service animal and should not be petted, bothered, harassed, or fed. The use of a collar or harness that identifies the animal as a service animal is strongly recommended to communicate the animal’s status.

Requirements for Faculty, Staff and Students

Members of the ESCC/AAC community are responsible for the following:

Allowing service animals to accompany the person with the disability in all areas of campus where the public is normally allowed, including attendance at a campus sponsored event or activity.
Allowing service animals in public areas even if state or local health codes prohibit animals on the premises.
Not separating or attempting to separate a student/handler from his/her service animal.
Not distracting the service animal in any way. For example, do not feed, pet, startle, or interact with the service animal without the student’s/handler’s permission.
Clarifying an animal’s status as a service animal should be directed to the ADA Coordinator, Dava Foster at 334-247-2623 ext. 2293 or emailing dfoster@escc.edu when it is not readily apparent what service an animal provides.

Conflicting Disabilities

If another person on campus has a covered disability under the ADA and that person is impacted by the presence of a service animal, a request for assistance should be made to the ADA Coordinator. All facts surrounding the contact will be reviewed and an effort to resolve the disability related needs/accommodations of all persons involved will be made. If others complain about the service animal and there has been no violation or incident, the student/handler should explain that the service animal is necessary, and that federal law protects the right of the person to be accompanied by the trained service animal in public places under most circumstances.

The College follows all applicable laws and regulations to protect the health and safety of the campus community and those animals which it permits on campus. Any individual who believes that he/she is being denied access to buildings, transportation, or programs should immediately inform the ADA Coordinator at 334-3472623 ext. 2293 or email dfoster@escc.edu.

Anyone in violation of this policy may be subject to disciplinary action.

Registering a Service Animal with the Center for Disability Services

The service animal handler/student is encouraged to register the service animal with the ADA Office and ADA Coordinator by submitting the following forms:

Student Service Animal Registration Form
Documentation of current vaccinations as required by law

Submit all completed forms by email to dfoster@escc.edu, or mail to 600 Plaza Drive Enterprise, Alabama.