Suit: Bedminster school district won’t allow nut-sniffing dog in class

BEDMINSTER — A family that moved to Central Jersey from Missouri is suing their school district over whether or not a nut-sniffing dog should be allowed in school.

According to the lawsuit, published online by open records advocate John Paff, the Bedminster school district will not allow a sixth-grade boy's service dog, which is trained to sniff out peanuts and tree nuts, to accompany him to class.

The district required additional medical documentation when he arrived in 2016, which delayed the boy from starting class for over two months. The suit also claims that the district created a service animal policy to retaliate against the family.

In addition, the suit claims that the child cannot ride the school bus or participate in extracurricular activities. However, the suit does not disclose if he is currently attending class, according to the report.

The suit, which MyCentralJersey.com reported was initially filed in Somerset County Superior Court but moved to a federal court, claims the boy and his twin brother have been bullied and the school has not taken steps to stop it.

In the suit, the family said the boy was exposed to peanuts when he lived in Missouri and was in a coma for five days. He was not expected to live, according to the suit.

The school board denied the allegations in its response to the suit, according to the reports.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ.

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