Thank you, Dr. Kim Bloomer of Animal Talk Naturally for posting Lemon and Laura’s dire dilema.  We have sent a letter off to Dr. Lusi with our thoughts and asking her to please reconsider.  Now we ask that you, our readers help in the campaign and ask if you could please take a moment and send a letter to Dr. Lusi to ask that Lemon the Duck please remain in the classroom.  He is truly doing a remarkable job and this would be such a shame if he was not allowed to continue his inspiring work.

From Laura, Mom to Lemon the Duck:

Dear Friends,

Recently I have been informed that Dr. Lusi, Superintendent of Portsmouth Schools, will no longer allow Lemon the Duck to be in my classroom. I am requesting your help in letting Dr. Lusi know how important Lemon has been to the children, the school, and their community. As you may already know, Lemon was hatched at Hathaway School in 2006 during a science project approved by the school department.

Because Lemon was born with a neurological disability I adopted her and she became a member of our class. She has also become a Professional Pet Assisted Therapy animal and has gone on to inspire many disabled children by her presence when visiting their classrooms and homes. Not only that she has helped children to understand handicapped individuals and how they can help them.

This year in my classroom, Lemon was awarded a Special Education Recognition Award from the Newport County Regional Special Education Advisory Committee. I think the Portsmouth School Department may not be aware of the value of Lemon’s full inclusion in the classroom and the school and I hope that you can apprise them of her contribution. Dr. Lusi is aware that Lemon’s message is valuable but may not be aware of the positive effects Lemon has had socially and emotionally to the students and may have in the future and for this reason I will be meeting with Dr. Lusi next week.

I encourage you to support me in this effort by writing a letter to Dr. Lusi. Her mailing address is: Dr. Lusi, Superintendent of Schools, Administration Building, 29 Middle Rd., Portsmouth, RI, 02871. She can also be reached by e-mail at lusis@portsmouthschoolsri.org. Your help will be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,
Laura and Lemon