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School committee approves more therapy dogs

Times Observer photo by Brian Ferry Hero, one of two Warren County School District therapy dogs, looks for some attention during several hours of school board committee and special meetings Monday.

It’s time for more paws in the PAWSitive support program.

It looks like the Warren County School District will double the number of therapy dogs in the program for next year.

At the Monday night meeting of the school board’s Curriculum, Instruction, and Technology committee, Director of Pupil Services Dr. Patricia Mead gave a report on the program.

The dogs – Hero, with handler Special Education Supervisor Heather Stover, and Pepper, with Occupational Therapist Cayla Leichtenberger – have made 143 school visits, 143 classroom visits, 241 individual student contacts, 144 group student contacts, 90 individual staff contacts, and 171 group staff contacts.

“Therapy dogs help create a comfortable, happy, and safe environment,” Mead said in a previous introduction of the concept. “Studies show that children’s reading abilities improve with the use of therapy dogs. Changes in attitudes toward reading, reading skill levels, schoolwork, attitudes toward homework, attendance, and changes in self-esteem and self-confidence can be seen by involving a therapy dog in a school. Therapy dogs have also been known to decrease levels of anxiety.”

In February, Mead reported to the board the results of a survey with over 1,500 responses.

“The students, parents, and teachers were all surveyed at the beginning of the school year,” Mead said. “75 percent of students and 78 percent of staff believe they have improved the school climate. 50 percent of students and 53 percent of staff believe they have enhanced the social emotional aspect of the school community.”

The committee approved the agenda item that would bring two more dogs to the district. When Chairman Joe Colosimo asked the other committee members if they were “Ok with that,” Mary Passinger said, “I’m great with it.”

“We received an anonymous donation for the purchase of the two dogs,” Mead said.

Pepper spends most of her days at Warren Area Elementary Center, while Hero is based at Beaty-Warren Middle School.

One of the two new dogs would go to Warren Area High School, Mead said. “The goal is to have a therapy dog available in each school – WAEC, BWMS, and WAHS – where the continuum of Life Skills, Autism, Learning, and Emotional Support are located.”

The other dog would be based at the Eisenhower campus. That decision is related to the donation, Mead said.

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