VILLA GROVE – A Douglas County judge extended a temporary restraining order Tuesday requiring the Villa Grove school district to allow a 6-year-old boy to bring his service dog with him to attend fall classes.

Nichelle and Bradley Drew of Villa Grove filed suit in circuit court to require the school to allow the dog, a yellow Labrador retriever named Chewey, to accompany their son, Kaleb, to school.

The court had issued a temporary restraining order earlier this month to allow Kaleb to attend summer classes with Chewey.

Tuesday's ruling will remain in effect until a full evidentiary hearing is held Nov. 10, which should result in a permanent ruling, said the Drews' attorney, Margie Wakelin, who works for Equip for Equality, a federally funded advocacy organization that serves disabled people in Illinois.

Kaleb has autism and needs a service dog to protect him from harm, go to school with him, sleep beside him every night, calm him and serve as a bridge between him and other people. Autism is a developmental disability that often appears in early childhood and impairs the ability to communicate and interact with others.

Chewey received two years of training at Autism Service Dogs of America, and the Drew family and friends held fundraisers – including a poker run, dinner, auction and concert – to get the $13,500 needed to pay for the dog. The service animal arrived at the Drew home in March.

The school district has resisted attempts to allow Kaleb to bring the dog to class, and school officials continue to argue against him doing so, Wakelin said.

School board President Steve Douglas declined to comment on the ruling Tuesday night.