Briel Bill to Increase Safety of Service Animals in Schools

OTTAWA, Ill. – State Rep. Amy “Murri” Briel, D-Ottawa, is better protecting service animals in schools and the students who rely on them with a new law requiring teachers receive service animal training as part of their annual training.

“Service animals aren’t pets, they are essential medical equipment that can mean the difference between life and death for their users,” said Briel. “Bullying and harassment have no place in our schools in general, and that’s especially true when that harassment puts students’ medical equipment in harm’s way.”

Senate Bill 2761 will require annual training regarding protection and accommodations for students who rely on service animals in classrooms, in addition to what is already included in required educator training. The bill is in response to growing concerns of students’ service animals being taunted and disturbed in school settings, interfering with their role of caring for their student handler.

“The more teachers and instructional staff know about the critical role service animals play, the better they’ll be able to support the students who rely on them for success in the classroom,” said Briel. “This measure ensures that students across Illinois will be able to bring their service animals to school without fear of causing their animals mental or physical distress.”

The measure passed both chambers with bipartisan support and was signed into law by Gov. Pritzker on July 24.

For more information, please email contact@staterepbriel.com.