I’d like to go to a boarding school, but I want to be able to have a cat. Could I?
I really don’t believe there are any boarding schools, at least any that I know of that would allow you to bring your own ESA cat with you to the school. I suggest looking at this thread for schools that are animal friendly:
.Although I’m not sure how helpful that will be considering your necessity for the cat. Of course, you might want to check with the admissions office for information regarding ESA animals, but I know you DEFINITELY cannot bring regular pets. The vast majority of schools, however, do have teachers living on campus who often times have cats or dogs and while they may not be yours, teachers often allow students to be very involved in the care of these animals.
An ESA is not a service animal and such does not fall under the mandates of the ADA.
It’s not a service animals. ESA animals must be accommodated in housing and airline situations, so I believe EVERY housing situation must allow ESA animals. However, you should make it a priority to work with the school, to pick a school that wants you to have your ESA animal. Do your research. Talk to the schools about the dorm set up.
@twoinanddone
“ESA animals must be accommodated in housing and airline situations, so I believe EVERY housing situation must allow ESA animals.”
There is a federal law saying Emotional Support Animals must be accommodated in every housing and airline situation? Please share the law.
The boarding school might claim it doesn’t fall under the fair housing act, but if it does, they have to make accommodations if possible.
So the issue is whether a boarding school falls under FHA. Would the prep school have to make accommodations for a physically condition? Sometimes yes but sometimes it isn’t possible (wheelchairs on the third floor? ramps built on an historic building?)
Q. “Are emotional support, therapy, comfort, or companion animals considered service animals under the ADA?
A. No. These terms are used to describe animals that provide comfort just by being with a person. Because they have not been trained to perform a specific job or task, they do not qualify as service animals under the ADA. However, some State or local governments have laws that allow people to take emotional support animals into public places. You may check with your State and local government agencies to find out about these laws.”
https://www.ada.gov/regs2010/service_animal_qa.html
I’d consider whether boarding school is truly the right chouce.
What does “reasonable accommodation” mean? A cat (or other let) very well could cause other students to have medical issues. I don’t read any of that as required.
Also, if it’s a HUD provision, where do planes and public transportation come into play?
Well, would it be reasonable to have this student who needs an ESA share with another student who likes cats, dogs, or alligators? Is it reasonable to have a cat but not an alligator? So much depends on the set up. If they are sleeping in dormitories like Madeline, 12 girls in two straight lines, it’s unlikely an accommodation can be made. If each student has a suite with a sink for water and a place to store food? Maybe.
Colleges are doing it. My daughter’s sorority had a request but there was the issue that someone else was allergic. The requestor never moved in so issue resolved.
The requestor also has to be responsible for the animal, to keep it contained or walk it, or otherwise follow the rules. I think any prep school is going to fight this as no possible for the accommodation. Except Hogwarts.
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
Let’s move past this broader issue, or discuss on another thread. Similarly, let’s move past discussion of ESA on planes, trains, etc.
The OP is asking a specific question, and depending on the school, the answer is yes or no. For most schools it will be no, but again, its school-specific… Whether they should be allowed, or whether the school is in compliance with federal laws, is a larger question. But if the school currently says no, any change as the result of policy shift or legal action will not occur in time to impact the OP.
You’d have to ask the individual schools. The problem is that the question itself might indicate to admissions that you’re not ready for boarding school.
OP has posted elsewhere that boarding school is not a realistic option for her. Perhaps a therapeutic residential school is what she is referring to?
FWIW, if you’re reading this and you need/like this type of support, be assured that there are dozens of dogs, cats, and other animals on most campuses. Dorm parents, faculty, admin people have animal companions at their homes or in the dorms on campus. There was a dog in kiddo’s dorm this year. Also, if you really like animals, you should check out Millbrook - they have their own zoo!
I personally think it is a bad idea to ask a school if you can bring an ESA to board with you. I would gather it would raise some potential undue red flags. Just my two cents of course!
Per post #10, hopefully this is relevant to the OP.
@aulei73 These are the rules on ESAs: https://www.animallaw.info/article/faqs-emotional-support-animals
There are lots of faculty dogs and cats at boarding schools, so you can have access to a cat on a regular basis even if you aren’t allowed to have your very own. At my daughter’s school, there is a club that brings kittens and puppies on campus from time to time, too, usually during finals. Kids at Thacher are also assigned a horse to care for during freshman year. (Horses can be tremendously therapeutic).
Target schools based on other interests and then ask. I disagree with those advising not to mention it. In my opinion, if the ESA cat is going to bias the school against you then you don’t need to go there anyway.
Another thought I had was to randomly call a couple of schools just to get a sense of how common the question is and to help gauge how difficult this issue will be to figure out.