UPDATED: Service dog and autistic boy start new school together

KSDK -- A five-year-old autistic boy went back to class Wednesday morning, with his dog, but at a new school.

Carter Kalbfleisch is now one of five students in Rachel Burcham's class at the Illinois Center for Autism in Fairview Heights, which is 45 minutes from his house.

The transportation and schooling for Carter is being paid for by the Columbia, Illinois School District, but transportation for his dog, Corbin, is not.

There were plenty of smiles as 5 year-old Carter Kalbfleisch made his way into his new school with his mom.

"We have an exciting year ahead of us with Carter and Corbin coming into the classroom," said Burcham.

The center has never had a service animal in any class before, but school administrators at the center say they're happy to have their staff and students exposed to a dog trained to help children with autism.

"We're just happy to get Carter back in school, and get him an education while all of the litigation is still going on," says Carter's mother Melissa Kalbfleisch.

While Carter's family is happy with Carter's new school, the family is still fighting to get the school district in Columbia, Illinois, where they live, to allow Carter and Corbin to attend school together there.

But so far, Columbia schools won't allow it, citing other students' allergies as a concern.

It was Carter's doctor at Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital who prescribed Carter a service dog to help him do things like talk, get around safely, and to help keep him calm and prevent tantrums.

But so far, Columbia Schools will only pay to send carter to the Illinois Center for Autism, so the family is now fighting in court to get Columbia to pay to transport Corbin to the school as well.

Right now Carter's mother is driving Corbin, and she's agreed to help school staff learn to handle him.

"You know we'll take it one day at a time. First they need to get to know Carter, before they get to know Corbin, and once they get Garter conquered, then we can move onto Corbin," says Kalbfleisch.

A local company, Kennelwood Pet Resort is offering to bathe and "shed-x" Corbin once a week, free of charge. The company's president believes that should address any allergy concern with Corbin. He's also offering dog training services to staff at any school where Corbin and Carter end up.

NewsChannel 5 tried to talk with Columbia's School Superintendent about all of this Wednesday, but he told us he couldn't discuss it because the legal case is ongoing.
Corbin is a Bouvier breed and was trained by Wilder Woods Service Dogs in Maryville, Tennessee.

A St. Louis not-for-profit also trains service dogs to help people with disabilities and to be therapy dogs. To find out more about Support Dogs, click on the video link to the right to watch NewsChannel 5's Heidi Glaus's report.