{"data":{"id":"us-ut/utah-code-53g-9-211","jurisdiction":"us-ut","citation":"Utah Code § 53G-9-211","heading":"Therapy animal handling -- Policy.","body":"(1) As used in this section:\n(a) \"Animal-assisted intervention\" means an intervention designed to promote improvement in an individual's physical, social, emotional, or cognitive functioning through interactions with a specially trained animal.\n(b) \"Local education agency\" means a school district or charter school.\n(c)\n(i) \"Therapy animal\" means an animal that:\n(A) provides affection and comfort to an individual for emotional support;\n(B) is accompanied by a therapy animal handler; and\n(C) is trained to provide animal-assisted intervention.\n(ii) \"Therapy animal\" does not include a service animal or support animal as those terms are defined in Section 26B-6-801.\n(d) \"Therapy animal handler\" means an individual who is trained to handle a therapy animal for animal-assisted interventions.\n(2)\n(a) If a school within a local education agency provides animal-assisted interventions through therapy animals, the local education agency shall adopt a policy for proper handling of a therapy animal on school grounds.\n(b) The policy described in Subsection (2)(a) shall include:\n(i) local or national certification or registration requirements for a therapy animal and therapy animal handler;\n(ii) guidelines for when a therapy animal and therapy animal handler are allowed on school grounds;\n(iii) notice requirements for parents, students, and school faculty and staff regarding the use of a therapy animal on school grounds; and\n(iv) guidelines to prevent students and staff who have an animal allergy or are uncomfortable around animals from interacting with a therapy animal on school grounds.\n(3) This section does not require a school to allow the use of a therapy animal.","path":["Title 53G Public Education System -- Local Administration","Chapter 53G-9 Health and Welfare","Part 53G-9-2 Miscellaneous Requirements"],"source_url":"https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title53G/Chapter9/53G-9-S211.html","current_through":"2026 General Session","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-03T11:34:33Z","sha256":"c075707fbd018c49e4e654a488910267fd27d7e7d198075b75f32c1a042d3db7","source_id":"us-ut","stale":false,"prev":"us-ut/utah-code-53g-9-210","next":"us-ut/utah-code-53g-9-212"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}