1     
THERAPY ANIMALS AMENDMENTS

2     
2021 GENERAL SESSION

3     
STATE OF UTAH

4     
Chief Sponsor: Marsha Judkins

5     
Senate Sponsor: Curtis S. Bramble

6     

7     LONG TITLE
8     General Description:
9          This bill addresses therapy animals in schools.
10     Highlighted Provisions:
11          This bill:
12          ▸     defines terms;
13          ▸     requires a local education agency to create a policy for the handling of a therapy
14     animal if a school within the local education agency provides animal-assisted
15     interventions through therapy animals; and
16          ▸     makes technical changes.
17     Money Appropriated in this Bill:
18          None
19     Other Special Clauses:
20          None
21     Utah Code Sections Affected:
22     ENACTS:
23          53G-9-210, Utah Code Annotated 1953
24     

25     Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
26          Section 1. Section 53G-9-210 is enacted to read:
27          53G-9-210. Therapy animal handling -- Policy.
28          (1) As used in this section:
29          (a) "Animal-assisted intervention" means an intervention designed to promote

30     improvement in an individual's physical, social, emotional, or cognitive functioning through
31     interactions with a specially trained animal.
32          (b) "Local education agency" means a school district or charter school.
33          (c) (i) "Therapy animal" means an animal that:
34          (A) provides affection and comfort to an individual for emotional support;
35          (B) is accompanied by a therapy animal handler; and
36          (C) is trained to provide animal-assisted intervention.
37          (ii) "Therapy animal" does not include a service animal or support animal as those
38     terms are defined in Section 62A-5b-102.
39          (d) "Therapy animal handler" means an individual who is trained to handle a therapy
40     animal for animal-assisted interventions.
41          (2) (a) If a school within a local education agency provides animal-assisted
42     interventions through therapy animals, the local education agency shall adopt a policy for
43     proper handling of a therapy animal on school grounds.
44          (b) The policy described in Subsection (2)(a) shall include:
45          (i) local or national certification or registration requirements for a therapy animal and
46     therapy animal handler;
47          (ii) guidelines for when a therapy animal and therapy animal handler are allowed on
48     school grounds;
49          (iii) notice requirements for parents, students, and school faculty and staff regarding
50     the use of a therapy animal on school grounds; and
51          (iv) guidelines to prevent students and staff who have an animal allergy or are
52     uncomfortable around animals from interacting with a therapy animal on school grounds.
53          (3) This section does not require a school to allow the use of a therapy animal.