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“You can’t have a community without unity.”
That’s what one community member said during a Warwick School Board meeting Tuesday over whether a principal should be disciplined for leaving a service dog in a hot car.
The dog, Callie, a Bernedoodle, died on June 11 after being left in J.R. Bonfield Elementary Principal Amy Balsbaugh’s car all day.
Callie had been a school service dog since 2023, helping students through reducing anxiety and isolation, improving trust, reducing behavioral issues and providing joy and affection, according to the school’s Facebook page.
Balsbaugh faces no criminal charges. The Lancaster County district attorney determined the dog’s death did not warrant criminal charges because of the wording of the state animal cruelty law, which requires intent, knowledge or recklessness.
Nonetheless, the school board said it wants to hold Balsbaugh accountable and voted unanimously to proceed with disciplinary charges. She was not at the meeting.
Community reaction
The community was outraged by the dog’s death, prompting calls for Balsbaugh’s dismissal and stronger protections for school animals. A petition seeking those has garnered more than 15,000 signatures as of Tuesday.
The Warwick School District’s social media pages have been filled with hundreds of comments. Some call for Balsbaugh to be fired; others make light of the situation. Some comments are over the top, speakers at the meeting said.
“This mob claims to be pursuing justice, when in reality it only seeks to burn and destroy and appease its sense of self-righteousness,” one parent said. “This is not justice. I will call this what it has become: bullying.”
However, about 40 people attended Tuesday’s meeting, and even fewer spoke.
A mom who said she has had four children attend the elementary school called the behavior on social media “rampant nonsense.”
All of the community members who spoke during the meeting said they hoped both for policy changes and for compassion for Balsbaugh and her family.
“As we move forward, we are asking for civility both on- and offline,” school board President Emily Zimmerman said.
Animal policies under review
Zimmerman said that the Warwick School District has hired an independent Pennsylvania-based organization with experience in service and facility dog programs. It will review district protocols.
The board expects new policies on the facility dog program.
“We want to ensure policy is as functional and relevant as possible,” she said.
How the punishment process works
Zimmerman started Tuesday’s meeting by reading a statement regarding the continuation of the disciplinary process
She noted that Pennsylvania has strict guidelines for dealing with issues involving school employees and that the board is following those.
A letter detailing the district’s charges was issued before the meeting. Those charges are as follows:
- Immorality
- Incompetency
- Cruelty
- Persistent negligence in the performance of duties
- Willful neglect of duties
- Persistent and willful violation or failure to comply with school laws.
The matter will move forward during an Aug. 5 meeting that Balsbaugh can choose to be private or public. She will have the right to be represented by an attorney, hear witnesses and evidence, present witnesses and evidence and attempt to prove lesser action than termination is appropriate.
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