ANN ARBOR, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) — a legal battle continues between a Wines Elementary School teacher in Ann Arbor and the Ann Arbor Public Schools over a therapy dog.
“The support that Lexie has received from the community has been tremendous, a lot of people have reached out and a lot of people have reached out to the school board,” said Sam Estenson, Lexi Fata’s attorney.
Fata is suing the district after she says she was told Gracie would be hers. She says the district took the dog away when she told administrators she was moving.
As her lawyer says, action has been taken in the hope of easing tensions.
“When I heard about the situation, I decided hopefully that if I donated one of our puppies to the school, they would accept that offer, and the dog would be returned to the teacher,” Moran said.
Julie Moran is a local dog breeder who has a bernadoodle puppy that she wants to give to the school for free. She says the puppy will receive therapy dog training.
She worries that Gracie probably suffers from separation anxiety, which she believes can only lead to problems in the classroom.
“Her lifestyle was with the teacher, during breaks she was with the teacher; at night she was with the teacher. That broke my heart,” Moran told CBS News Detroit.
Recently, the school district and Fata’s attorneys were in court for a hearing on a temporary restraining order, hoping Gracie would return while the case plays out.
CBS News Detroit has learned the judge denied that request, while attorneys plan to file a reconsideration.
“What he determined at this hearing is that it is not a sufficient reason to acquire Gracie from AAPS,” Estenson said.
According to Moran, she has already provided therapy dogs to school districts in Indiana.
Fata claims that Gracie still had problems in class after training, which worries Moran.
“You would think they would be careful about the safety and security of the children or anyone coming into contact with the dog,” Moran said.
Fata’s lawyers plan to continue the fight in court. While Moran plans to make a formal offer to the parent-teacher organization. We have contacted both the school and the PTO and are waiting to hear back.
Terell Bailey
