A Maine public school district is reviewing its classroom pet policy after a teacher requested permission to foster puppies, prompting concerns about how dogs in classrooms could affect students and families with Islamic religious objections.
Dr. Abdullahi Ahmed, assistant superintendent for student, family and community partnerships at Portland Public Schools, addressed the issue during an Oct. 14 policy committee meeting. He explained that some Islamic traditions regard dog saliva as impure.
According to The National News Desk, Ahmed said he consulted local Muslim religious leaders, who opposed keeping dogs as classroom pets.
The discussion followed a request from a teacher at Ocean Avenue Elementary School who wanted to foster puppies in the classroom. The arrangement would have allowed students to spend time with the animals during reading and play activities.
Ahmed said possible accommodations could include housing dogs in a separate room to respect students and families who have religious concerns about the animals.
He emphasized that opposition to classroom dogs should not be interpreted as opposition to animals generally, saying, “in Islamic tradition, there is always the love for animals and living things and compassion for animals.”
At the same time, Ahmed noted that some Islamic traditions view dogs as unclean.
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“So, with that being said, there are some ritual kind of a purity or in that Islamic traditions … So, for example, the dog saliva is considered impure,” Ahmed said. “And also some people had some experiences with dogs, which were negative actually in the past.”
According to his district biography, Ahmed was born and raised in Somalia and speaks Somali, Arabic, English and Urdu.
Ahmed also told the committee that the imams he consulted did not support keeping dogs as classroom pets.
Committee members considered whether a revised policy should address only dogs or cover other classroom animals as well. They also discussed possible opt-in and opt-out arrangements.
The committee did not vote on any policy changes at the Oct. 14 meeting.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Moms for Liberty co-founder Tina Descovich said, “Dogs have been enriching the lives of school children across America since its founding.”
Descovich described objections to dogs in classrooms as “silly.”
Fox News Digital contacted Ahmed and Portland Public Schools Superintendent Ryan Scallon for comment but had not received responses at the time of publication.