The Clarion-Ledger reported today:
"Christina McCurdy believes the dog can save her life.
As for her employers - Scott County School District officials - it's been hard to find out what they think.
McCurdy, 29, a teacher at Bettye Mae Jack Middle School in Morton, wants to bring her dog Jinx to the classroom with her, a request school board trustees denied.
Jinx, a female boxer, is a Diabetic Alert Dog; she warns McCurdy, a Type I diabetic, before her blood sugar suffers huge swings - anomalies that could lead to seizures, organ damage or death if she doesn't take insulin injections or glucose tablets in time.
"Jinx is a service dog, the same as a seeing-eye dog. She does what my body can't do any more," said McCurdy. "I have a hard time feeling my blood sugar dropping."
Jinx can smell the change, McCurdy said. "Kind of like when you go into a room and smell beef stew cooking.
"She'll put one paw on my leg, and if I brush her off, she comes back in a few minutes and puts both paws on my leg.
"If I still don't pay attention, she'll go get somebody else; she did that once in church when I was trying to listen to the sermon.
However, the school board twice denied requests from Mrs. McCurdy to allow her to bring the dog to work with her and apparently don't think they have to explain their decision to anyone:
"But the school board hasn't told me why they denied my request. I want them to volunteer the information and not have to ask for it."
McCurdy is now seeking mediation through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, she said...." Rest of the article
The attorneys would not return calls to the reporter (I expected more professional behavior from Jim Keith and Roy Noble Lee, Jr. Maybe The Kingfish should start going out to Scott County to go over their invoices to the district, you know, like I've done with Hinds County, Jackson, the Madison BOS.... you get the idea.).
I've known Christina McCurdy for ten years and can attest her diabetes is real and severe. She has been a Type I diabetic since she was four years old. The cost for a machine to do what her dog does is $500 per month and does not do as good a job detecting blood sugar changes as does the dog. Jinx cost $25,000. You read that right. $25,000. Mrs. McCurdy was able to raise all but $6,000 through donations, grants, and other help. She worked for the remaining funds.
The school board denied her request and told her to get a letter from the doctor. Her doctor provided her with a letter explaining why she needed the dog and the costs for the dog and various alternatives. The school board denied the request a second time and again without explanation. The board attorney even told the school board any liability if the dog bit someone would fall on Mrs. McCurdy, not the school district so the liability issue is a non-starter. Its no secret Mississippi schools are not the most-friendly to the disabled as many parents have unfortunately discovered. The Scott County School Board should wake up and allow Christina McCurdy to use her service dog on the job.
Here is a news story on the benefits of diabetic alert dogs.
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