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Islamic Rules Could Get Dogs Banned From Classrooms In Maine’s Largest School District

Islamic beliefs regarding the impurity of dog drool could lead to pups being barred from classrooms in Maine’s largest city.

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The policy committee for Portland Public Schools in Maine is considering an “opt-in” policy for students interacting with dogs in classrooms, while also entertaining the possibility of barring non-service canines because of Islamic doctrine categorizing the animals as “impure,” video of a mid-October meeting revealed.

The discussion, first reported by The New England Signal, apparently arose because of a teacher’s proposal to “foster puppies in her classroom.” As outlined by Committee Chair Maya Lena, the program would involve “keeping a puppy in an enclosed playpen during the school day, with students periodically invited to read or play with it.”

This led Dr. Abdullahi Ahmed, assistant superintendent for student, family, and community partnerships, to raise concerns and propose a policy requiring students to opt in in order to interact with pups in the classroom. The contact with dogs could run afoul of Islamic rules, explained Ahmed, a naturalized citizen from Somalia.

“The Muslim community members do not oppose or hold hostility against animals,” Ahmed said. He then added, “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. And also some people had some experiences with dogs, which were negative actually in the past.” Ahmed said he discussed the proposed policy with the “community elders or imams,” who objected to “hav[ing] a dog as a class pet.” He later clarified that “any liquid from the dog is where the … ritual purity question comes from.”

🚨WATCH: A Portland Public Schools administrator says dogs shouldn't be class pets, citing Islamic teaching that dog saliva is impure. pic.twitter.com/ERQObRa0KU— The New England Signal (@TheNESignal) October 19, 2026

🚨WATCH: A Portland Public Schools administrator says dogs shouldn't be class pets, citing Islamic teaching that dog saliva is impure. pic.twitter.com/ERQObRa0KU

One participant questioned whether the opt-in policy itself might be exclusionary. “I’m picturing the cute puppies in the pen in the room and, you know, the kids that are not allowed to go and touch the puppies,” Portland Public Schools Executive Director of Operations Dr. Sarah Warren said. “I don’t know, I........

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