SHERRARD, Ill. – Superintendent Dr. Samuel Light of Illinois’ Sherrard School District is defending the district’s move to appeal a court’s decision allowing a service dog to be used in an elementary classroom.

To date, the district has racked up $100,000 in legal bills during the dispute, WQAD reports.

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Kellsey McGuire was an eight-year-old suffering from epilepsy and seizures at Sherrard Grade School in 2014 when she was told she could no longer bring her service dog with her to school.

Initially, the district welcomed Jasper, Kellsey’s service dog which helps her with her epilepsy. However, in June 2014 the McGuires filed a federal lawsuit alleging that a teacher had several confrontations with Jasper and Kellsey, WQAD reported in December.

By not allowing their daughter’s service dog, the McGuires were forced to take their daughter to Jordan Catholic School.

However, the district does not seem to think it is completely in the wrong here.

“District officials maintained nothing was ever done to prohibit Kellsey and Jasper from attending their school, and that they were not given enough opportunity to resolve the problem”, according to the news site.

Late last year a state hearing officer agreed that the school did in fact provide a hostile environment, and the district was ordered to pay two years tuition for Kellsey to attend private school.

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Superintendent Dr. Samuel Light is defending the appeal claiming since the McGuires did not accept the settlement reached as per a state hearing officer’s ruling, the district has no other option.

“If they don’t accept the offer, then we have to appeal. We totally agreed to pay what we were told to pay by the hearing officer, and that was denied”, said Dr. Light, according to the news site.

The McGuires want more than the ordered district-covered two years tuition for their daughter to attend private school. They want to make sure there is a policy protecting children and service dogs in place so this does not happen to other children.

They would also like the district to cover their $65,000 legal bill, which is only about two-thirds of the $100,000 legal bill the district has racked up.

“While the litigation is likely not concluded, this is an important step toward achieving justice not only for their daughter and Jasper, but for all children dealing with disabilities who seek unfettered public access with service animals”, John Doak, the attorney representing the McGuire family, said in a statement after the December 2014 ruling, according to WQAD news.

It looks like the battle is still nowhere near its end. Despite the challenges presented by the district, we hope Kellsey, Jasper, and the McGuires find the justice they and so many other families deserve in the end.