The East Meadow School District has broken its silence in the fight for a hearing-impaired student to have a service dog in class.In a statement, Superintendent Robert Dillon says the district has determined that John Cave, a freshman at W. Tresper Clarke High School, already has equal access to all programs and services in the district. Dillon says because of that, the dog is not needed. He also contends the safety and efficiency of the district's programs for all of its students must be considered. Dillon says a dog participating daily in school activities could pose problems such as allergy conditions, crowd flow in the hallways and stairwells, and a significant distraction to others.Nancy Cave, John's mother, claims it's not within the school district's jurisdiction to make the decision. She says she may have no other choice but to sue the school district. She has adamantly maintained that both federal and state law allow her son to have the service dog in the classroom. John Cave has been deaf since he was 10 months old. He does have cochlear implants, but says he needs the service dog to keep him safe and to alert him if there was a fire alarm.The school district also said it has attempted on numerous occasions to speak with the Caves about the service dog, but the efforts were rejected.

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