Service Animals in Schools

Anne O. Papalia, Ph.D. is an assistant professor at Shippensburg University in the Department of Educational Leadership and Special Education. She teaches courses on instructional methods for students with high incidence disabilities, students with low disabilities, and collaboration. Her research interest includes service dogs in schools, the impact of therapy dogs on students with disabilities, and suicide prevention for people with disabilities. Dr. Papalia has worked as a special educator for students with high and low incidence disabilities in grades K-12, coordinated prereferral intervention teams, and served as a school counselor. She also has been involved in dog training for the past 30 years. She trains and certifies therapy dogs, has trained service dogs for individuals with physical disabilities and returning veterans with PTSD, and is a dog obedience judge. Dr. Papalia earned a Ph.D. in special education from The Pennsylvania State University. She recently authored an article entitled Service Dogs in Schools: Legal, Access, and Educational Issues, and co-authored textbook chapters entitled Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and Endrew F.: What the future may hold.

Kathy B. Ewoldt, Ph.D., is a special education researcher focused on interventions and accommodations to maximize learning in inclusive settings. Her research includes teaching paragraph writing skills to students with Learning Disabilities and English learners, the integration and implementation of technology in inclusion classrooms, and service animal policy. She has seven years' secondary classroom teaching experience with culturally-, linguistically-, and ability-diverse populations in urban environments. Dr. Ewoldt has helped train puppies for future service to assist individuals with visual impairments and has recently co-authored an article Service Animals in PreK-12 Schools: Legal & Policy Implications for School Leaders. Dr. Ewoldt is an Assistant Professor in the Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching Department at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

David F. Bateman, Ph.D., is a professor at Shippensburg University in the Department of Educational Leadership and Special Education where he teaches courses on special education law, assessment, and facilitating inclusion. He is a former due process hearing officer for Pennsylvania for over 580 hearings. He uses his knowledge of litigation relating to special education to assist school districts in providing appropriate supports for students with disabilities. His latest area of research has been on the role of principals in special education. He has been a classroom teacher of students with learning disabilities, behavior disorders, intellectual disability, and hearing impairments, and a building administrator for summer programs. Dr. Bateman earned a Ph.D. in special education from the University of Kansas. He has recently co-authored the following books: A Principal's Guide to Special Education, A Teacher's Guide to Special Education, Charting the Course: Special Education in Charter Schools, Special Education Leadership, Special Education Law Case Studies, and Current Trends and Legal Issues in Special Education. He was recently co-editor of a special issue of TEACHING Exceptional Children focusing on legally compliant IEPs. He is co-founder of the Journal of Disability Law and Policy in Education.