Animals on Campus Policy

Carteret Community College recognizes that owners of Domestic Animals may desire to bring those animals to the campus; users of Service Animals or Service Animals in Training may find it necessary to bring those animals on campus; and Feral or Wild Animals may select the campus landscape as their habitat. In consideration of the personal safety and well-being of the Carteret Community College campus community, and in accordance with applicable state and federal laws, this Policy establishes requirements for accessibility, behavior, and treatment of animals on campus.

No person may bring an animal onto the College campus, except for:

1. Service Animals, Service Animals in Training;
2. Emotional support, comfort, and therapy animals
3. Domestic Animals only as defined below and as provided in the requirements;
4. Animals that are brought on campus for a purpose specifically approved and under conditions established by the President.

This Policy does not apply to animals on campus solely for the purpose of instructional use. 

Requirements

The care and supervision of a Service Animal, Service Animal in Training, and Support Animal is the responsibility of the person using the animal’s services (hereinafter “owner”). The owner must ensure that the animal is in good health and has been vaccinated against diseases common to that type of animal and that those vaccinations are kept up-to-date as recommended by the American Veterinary Medical Association. For example, dogs should have routine maintenance for flea and tick prevention, de-worming, and have annual examinations. Dogs must wear a rabies tag.

Service Animals, Service Animals in Training, and Support Animals must be under full control at all times with devices as set forth below, unless these devices interfere with the animal’s work or the individual’s disability prevents using these devices. In that case, the individual must maintain control of the animal through voice, signal, or other effective controls.  A Service Animal in Training and a Support Animal must be on a lead and under control at all times.

Use of a Service Animal or Service Animal in Training may be prohibited if the use of the animal poses a direct threat to the health or safety of other persons.

Use of a Service Animal in Training and Support Animal may be prohibited if the presence of the Service Animal in Training and Support Animal will result in a fundamental alteration of the educational program or activity involved. Questions about the impact of the Service Animal or Support Animal on an educational program or activity should be addressed with the Disabilities Coordinator in consultation with the vice president who oversees the program, course, or space in question.

When it is not obvious what service an animal provides, College officials may ask only two questions:  (1) Is the animal a Service Animal required because of a disability? and (2) What work or task has the animal been trained to perform? College officials cannot ask about the person’s disability, require medical documentation, require a special identification card or training documentation for the animal, or ask that the animal demonstrate its ability to perform the work or task.

College officials may ask an individual to remove a Service Animal, Service Animal in Training or Support Animal from College facilities or the College campus if: 

1. The animal poses a direct threat to the health and safety of others;
2. The animal is out of control or disruptive and the animal’s handler does not take effective action to control it; or
3. The animal is not housebroken.

The owner is responsible for the cost to repair any damage done by the Service Animal, Service Animal in Training or Support Animal to college property.

Feral or Wild Animals that are not a risk and do not represent a hazard, cause property damage, or create a public nuisance, and that do not require human intervention, may inhabit the campus grounds.

Feral or Wild Animals that are a potential risk, represent a hazard, cause property damage, create a nuisance, or otherwise pose a potential threat to the health or safety of humans will be regulated, controlled, and humanely relocated in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations.

Except as otherwise set forth below, the following requirements apply to all Service Animals, Service Animals in Training, Support Animals, and Domestic Animals on campus:

1. All animals must be under control while on campus grounds, and restrained by a leash or other appropriate device that does not exceed six feet in length and that is under control by a responsible person.  At no time is an animal permitted to wander off leash or be let out of control by the handler. Exceptions may apply to service animals when the task(s) performed requires the service animal to be off leash or unrestrained.
2. Fecal matter deposited by any animal brought onto campus must be removed immediately and disposed of properly by the owner or handler.  The burden is on the animal handler to arrange for removal of fecal matter if he or she is personally unable to perform the task.
3. Domestic Animals may for a “visitation” enter any: 
   1. Campus building;
   2. Enclosed or delineated outdoor athletic or recreational facility; or
   3. Officially reserved or scheduled outdoor event on campus.
4. Domestic Animals are not allowed to “visit” during classroom instruction, clinical activities, or other indoor assemblies, events, or presentations.
5. Animals found tethered, unattended, or abandoned may be humanely impounded in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations.
6. Animals may be confined in vehicles parked on campus for a reasonable period of time as long as the animal is not endangered and does not endanger others or create a public nuisance.  In the event of endangerment to the animal or others, or public nuisance, the animal may be humanely impounded. 
7. Animals must have appropriate behavior while on campus.  If there is anything about the condition, health, or behavior of any animal on campus that is deemed by College officials to be a direct threat to the health or safety of any member of the campus community or to any other animal, if the owner cannot control the animal, if the animal is disruptive, or if the animal is not housebroken, then that animal may be removed from campus in any manner deemed necessary by College officials.  Such action may be taken regardless of whether the animal posing a threat would otherwise be permitted on campus under this Policy.   

Responsibilities

The President will be responsible for providing the final determination on the risk, potential hazard, potential for property damage, or potential for public nuisance of any animal on campus grounds. Nothing in this Policy is intended to limit the freedom of the Security or other College officials in the assessment or handling of any situation involving an animal in College facilities or on the College campus.

The Disabilities Coordinator is responsible for maintaining any documentation regarding Service Animals, Service Animals in Training and Support Animals.

Violations of this Policy

All members of the campus community share the responsibility of implementing all aspects of this Policy. Failure to comply with implementation of this Policy will result in the following consequences: 

• Any person who brings an animal onto campus in violation of this Policy will be required to remove the animal from campus immediately. 
• Any person who allows his or her animal to stray or be unattended may have such animal impounded and turned over to the local Animal Control Shelter.

Definition of Terms: 

Service Animals: The College defines “Service Animal” in accordance with Title II and Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). A service animal is any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. Tasks performed can include, but are not limited to, guiding individuals with impaired vision, alerting individuals with impaired hearing to intruders or sounds, providing animal protection or rescue work, pulling a wheelchair, or fetching dropped items. If an animal meets this definition, it is considered a service animal for purposes of this regulation even if it has not been licensed or certified by a state or local government, or by a private agency. Animals whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as Service Animals under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Under Title II and III of the ADA, service animals are limited to dogs. However, the use of miniature horses is accepted under the ADA, if the miniature horse has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for individuals with disabilities.

Service Animals in Training: A Service Animal in Training is an animal in training to become a Service Animal when the animal is accompanied by a person who is training the Service Animal and the animal is wearing a collar and leash, harness, or cape that identifies the animal as a Service Animal in Training.

Emotional Support, Comfort, and Therapy Animals: Emotional support animals, comfort animals, and therapy dogs are not service animals under Title II and Title III of the ADA. Other species of animals, whether wild or domestic, trained or untrained, are not considered service animals either. The work or tasks performed by a service animal must be directly related to the individual’s disability. It does not matter if a person has a note from a doctor that states that the person has a disability and needs to have the animal for emotional support. A doctor’s letter does not turn an animal into a service animal. These animals are identified as an animal providing emotional or other support to alleviate one or more identified symptoms or effects of a disability. Support Animals are not required to be trained to perform work or tasks.

Emotional Support, Comfort, and Therapy Animals are not automatically allowed to accompany persons with disabilities in any College area. Before a Support Animal can accompany a person with a disability, a request must be submitted to the Disabilities

Coordinator for approval by the appropriate vice president. Appropriate documentation from a licensed physician, mental health provider, a qualified psychiatrist, social worker, or other qualified professional, is required in order to provide sufficient information for College to determine:

• the individual qualifies as a person with a disability, and has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities; and
• the Support Animal is necessary to provide emotional support or other assistance to improve one or more symptoms or effects of the disability.

Domestic Animals: Domestic Animals are those species of animals that normally and customarily share human habitat and are normally dependent on humans for food and shelter, including dogs, cats, and other common domestic animals, but not including Feral or Wild Animals.  Service Animals, Service Animals in Training, and Support Animals are not considered Domestic Animals for the purpose of this Policy.

Feral or Wild Animals: Feral or Wild Animals are animals that are not socialized or domesticated.

Visitation: Visitation is defined as a short period of time on an occasional basis