Deano's story (the ferret rescued from the high school environment) is
achingly familiar, as we recently had a similar experience.  About a year
ago, our daughter (then a junior in HS) became a lab assistant in the
"Environmental Science" room of her HS.  The ES teacher keeps a vast
menagerie of animals in her room, which then included two ferrets (Sparky
and Shasta).  Like Deano's "mom", my daughter felt so sorry for them she
began bringing them home on weekends and breaks and, of course, they
adapted beautifully to a real "home" environment.  Last spring, it became
apparent that Sparky was experiencing health problems which I suspected
were adrenal-related.  I'll spare you the details but, ultimately, Teacher
stated she didn't have an adequate budget to cover the necessary treatment,
and thought it might be best to have him euthanized.  At this point, my
husband and I essentially said, "like hell you will", and strongly urged
her to let us take both ferrets.  We did, Sparky got his adrenal-surgery
(completely at our expense, of course), has enjoyed an excellent recovery
and now has the handsomest tail in the world.  When we removed the ferrets
from the school, I took the opportunity to (diplomatically) try to disuade
Teacher from acquiring any more ferrets for classroom use.  Since our
daughter no longer attends that school, I have no idea what course of
action Teacher decided to follow after we took Sparky and Shasta "off her
hands".
 
Thankfully, we did not encounter the problems which have subsequently
plagued the Deano-family, wherein the school administrators are now
attempting to effect Deano's return to the classroom.  I sincerely hope the
Deano-family does not have to fight this in the courts but, unfortunately,
it's conceivable the school system will push it to that point.  Because I
happen to be an attorney (a fact which I don't admit to just anyone), I
can't help but ponder some of the legal aspects of this situation; I'd like
to toss out some thoughts, in the hope that the Deano-family (or others who
might find themselves facing a similar dilemma at some point) will find
them useful:
 
To Deano's family: First, it sounds like you are doing everything "right"
with respect to enlisting the support of others who would be considered
credible "experts" on the issue of Deano's welfare.  I would suggest that
if you have any letters or notes (in other words, anything in writing)
which document the understanding at the time you took custody of Deano, you
should collect and preserve those.  Are there any other individuals who
might have been present during any discussions with school personnel
regarding Deano's disposition?  If so, identify those persons and determine
what they recall observing or hearing.  Receipts showing your financial
contribution to Deano's health care requirements, as well as receipts
related to any purchases made or expenses incurred with respect to his
daily care and maintenance should be collected (going back to the period
when he first began visiting your home, if possible).  In the event this
situation cannot be resolved without legal action, you will doubtless need
to procure legal representation; perhaps the local animal-welfare groups
can help you locate an attorney who is philosophically-sympathetic and
would be willing to provide services on a pro bono basis (or for the good
publicity he/she would doubtless garner from his/her involvement).
 
I'm located in the Kansas City area and, therefore, without researching
Minnesota law, I can't offer any opinions or predictions as to whether or
not the law of that state favors this family's position or not.  One thing
that always distresses me is when I hear a non-lawyer advising someone else
that "this is what the law says"; what many non-lawyers do not recognize is
that "the law" varies substantially depending upon which jurisdiction you
are referring to.  Different states adopt different rules, and just because
"the law" provides one thing in state "A" does not mean the rule is the
same in state "B".  Such sweeping generalizations are rarely accurate; the
only way to be sure is to research the law of the jurisdiction in question
(or consult a professional advocate who is licensed to practice in that
jurisdiction and is, presumably, knowledgeable about its laws).
 
I truly hope this situation has a swift and happy ending, both for Deano's
sake and for his family's.  Until I read this account, I didn't know
whether our own experience was unique or not, but this leads me to believe
it isn't unusual to find ferrets in school-environments; I look forward to
hearing whether others on this list have had, or know of, similar
experiences.
 
Sparky and Shasta remain cherished members of our household; they, along
with all our other fur-children, join me in sending Deano and his family
good wishes.
 
Norma Wooten
[log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 2869]